Montana city mops up from tornado that hit arena

BILLINGS: Survivors of a tornado that tore into Montana”s largest indoor arena and leveled several commercial buildings returned to a scene of devastation Monday — awe-struck that a twister so destructive caused no major injuries.

Under sunny, blue skies, owners of damaged businesses in Billings picked through the rubble of their storefronts, salvaging what they could from rain-soaked piles of debris.

Local officials said a 12,000-seat arena that suffered extensive damage would have to be gutted and, if there is structural damage, possibly razed.

But residents and local leaders said Billings got off surprisingly easy given the force of Sunday”s twister, which snapped trees and power lines, lifted the roof off the Rimrock Auto Arena and left debris scattered across hundreds of acres.

The only reported injury was a homeowner who was hit in the head by a large hailstone.

A day before the tornado hit, more than 7,000 people had been inside the Rimrock arena for an Indoor Football League game.

“The big guy was looking out after us,” Yellowstone County Commissioner Bill Kennedy said. “If that thing had hit on a Saturday night, it would have been a disaster.”

Witnesses and officials said the tornado carved through a commercial area, crossed a wide swath of unoccupied land and then stalled for 15 minutes or more over the arena before it dissipated.

It was the first large tornado to hit Billings in more than a half-century.