By msnbc.com staff
MOFFAT COUNTY, Colo. -- ?Three teenage boys?stuck for a night in Routt National Forest in Moffat County during a snowmobiling trip?survived through a blizzard and temperatures in the teens by?burning what they could --?including a snowmobile -- to stay warm, NBC station KUSA of Denver?reports.
Justin McAlexander, 17,?Jessie Burke, 17, and Burke's?13-year-old brother, Mason,?got stranded?Sunday near Freeman Reservoir north of Craig, or about 75 miles by road northeast of Steamboat Springs. They were supposed to return home by 5 that evening, but their snowmobiles got caught in 2 to 3 feet of snow.
See the original story at 9news.com in Denver
"I called in search and rescue and told them where we were," Justin told KUSA. "Then I started digging a pit, which I dug about 6 or 7 feet down. I pulled my friend Jessie in because his foot was frozen and I pulled his little brother into the pit."
Justin said?he?collected?firewood, which he?lit?inside the pit, and the blaze?lasted for about five hours. When that went out, the boys sat in the cold for about two hours, KUSA said.
So?Justin took matches from his?survival kit and threw a match into the?snowmobile's fuel tank, which burned for?about two hours, KUSA reported.
"That's the only thing that we've got left to burn," Justin said. "It was gasoline and we all know that gasoline catches fire real quick. So I lit a match dropped it in the tank and figured, if anything, that would give them a big enough flame to see us."
Justin's father,?Bruce, told KUSA?that with 10 years?in Boy Scouts, the group's survival training?kept Justin and his friends alive. That's where he had learned to pack a survival kit and?how to make a snow pit.
Still,?Justin told KUSA,?they were afraid.
"We tried to stay calm," Justin told KUSA. "There were some times that we figured that they just stopped looking for us, figured we were dead."
Justin?sent text messages throughout the night, although his phone could no longer make calls, KUSA said.
Crews finally reached the three boys?about 8 a.m. Monday, about 15 hours after the search began, KUSA reported.
Jessie and Mason were taken to the hospital for observation and were?released and are doing?fine, KUSA said.
Moffat County Sheriff Tim Jantz told KUSA the three boys did the right thing by staying where they were.
"As far as rescuers, we try to tell people to stay put," Jantz said. "If possible, stay with your vehicle, stay in one location so crews can find you."
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