KETCHIKAN, Alaska (KTUU) – A longtime Ketchikan resident died in a massive landslide Sunday that bowled its way through numerous homes and buildings.
Officials with the Ketchikan Gateway Borough named Sean Griffin as the victim of Sunday’s slide that left piles of debris on neighborhood roads in the Southeast Alaska town.
The borough said Griffin was a 17-year veteran of the City of Ketchikan Public Works team, and “spent his life serving his family and his community.”
“Sean was a beloved husband, father, son, neighbor, and coworker,” the borough said in a statement. “Sean was raised in Ketchikan and followed his mother into public service.”
The borough said Griffin was out clearing stormwater drains when the landslide came down.
“It was his commitment to the community that caused him to respond to the call for assistance during his scheduled time off,” the borough said.