New York State Police have identified an off-duty Toronto firefighter who went missing while on an annual ski trip to Lake Placid as 49-year-old Constantinos (Danny) Filippidis.
Police said in a media release that Filippidis went missing at Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, N.Y., and was last seen between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 7.
The Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association (TPFFA) told Global News Thursday that Filippidis went to the village, most known for hosting the 1980 Winter Olympics, for vacation and was joined by friends, family and other off-duty and retired firefighters.
READ MORE: Off-duty Toronto firefighter goes missing on Lake Placid ski hill
TPFFA president Frank Ramagnano said the group was skiing down Whiteface Mountain when they noticed he never made it down the hill after the chairlifts shut down at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
State officials said they started a search at 4:30 p.m. led by Department of Environmental Conservation forest rangers in co-ordination with New York State Police and Whiteface Mountain staff.
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Filippidis was last seen wearing a green ski jacket, black helmet and red skis, and is described as five-feet 10-inches tall, 220 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.
Officials said numerous organizations, including the Toronto Area Fire Services and volunteers, have joined the search party which now totals more than 140 people.
As the search for Filippidis continues, authorities said the ski resort remains open to the public.
State police are asking skiers and snowboarders at Whiteface Mountain to report anything out of the ordinary.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the mountain’s ski patrol or call the New York State Police at 518-873-2750.
–With a file from Kamil Karamali
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