A Sherburne County man pulled his unresponsive 12-year-old son to safety from a snow tunnel outside the family's home east of Zimmerman that collapsed on the boy, authorities said Wednesday.

Steven Morse was taken early Tuesday evening by air ambulance from the Baldwin Township home in the 27000 block of 102nd Street NW. to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale for treatment and was released within hours, according to the Sheriff's Office.

By the time deputies responded to the call of Steven being buried up to his waist in snow, the father, Bradley, had dug out the child, the Sheriff's Office added.

"The boy was breathing but unresponsive to parents and emergency responders," the Sheriff's Office said in a statement. "His extremities were white and cold to the touch."

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482