By Dennis Box-The Courier-Herald
An early morning snowstorm hit the Plateau and Puget Sound region Monday morning dropping about 3 inches of snow, closing schools and snarling traffic.
By 5 a.m. the Enumclaw, White River and Carbonado school districts had closed schools due to the slippery road conditions.
In Enumclaw, city crews were out sanding streets, but plows were put on hold. Public Works Director Chris Searcy said the plowing would come if the forecast called for greater accumulations of snow.
Pierce County sent 22 snowplows and sanding units out across the area as snow continued to fall through the morning hours.
Emergency calls flooded into East Pierce Fire and Rescue beginning with a Sunday night call concerning a vehicle that had gone over an embankment north of Wilkeson.
The driver and a passenger, a man and woman, drove up a forest service road past Sunset Lake earlier Sunday and got stuck. The made their way back to town and picked up a truck to pull the vehicle out. They could not free the vehicle and on their way back to Wilkeson, slid off the road and fell down a 30-foot embankment before hitting a tree.
East Pierce Assistant Chief Russ McCallion said it took three hours to rescue the pair.
During the rescue operation a firefighter and Pierce County Sheriff's Deputy were injured.
The driver of the vehicle, the passenger, the firefighter and a deputy were all taken to Good Samaritan Hospital for treatment of injuries.
In Bonney Lake, state Route 410 from Elhi Hill to 191st Avenue East was closed at 6:30 a.m. with multiple accidents.
East Pierce Fire Chief Dan Packer sent out a warning to citizens concerning barbecue grills or generators used inside buildings, including garages. Both produce deadly carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless gas that can build-up inside unventilated homes, creating a poisonous atmosphere.
Packer reported his crews treated two cases of carbon monoxide poisoning Monday morning.
The chief suggested residents invest in a carbon monoxide detector for their homes.
Dennis Box can be reached at dbox@courierherald.com.
