A Northfield firefighter was killed in a snowmobile crash during a blizzard that partly buried his overturned sled.

The Rice County Sheriff's Office said Chad Van Zuilen's snowmobile flipped and landed on top of him, according to WCCO-TV. Rescuers found him after spotting the ski of his snowmobile, the only part visible, the report said.

Van Zuilen, 37, was found in Webster Township. He was pronounced dead at Northfield Hospital early Sunday morning.

"The ER waiting room was just full of firefighters and law enforcement … just hoping that they were going to be able to save him," Sheriff Troy Dunn said, according to WCCO. "And when they came out and said, 'No,' it's just being there for one another, hugging one another, and very sad. And you feel for the family, and he's got kids that are still in school."

The Hennepin County medical examiner said Van Zuilen died of asphyxia.

STAFF REPORT