GREAT FALLS — A fire gutted an 8,000-square-foot living quarters at a Hutterite Colony in northern Toole County, near the Canadian border.
North Toole County Volunteer Fire Chief Don McAlpine says the fire started in the attic between two of the seven apartments in the building at the Hillside Hutterite Colony. McAlpine tells the Great Falls Tribune the fire was not suspicious and no one was hurt, but damages are estimated at $800,000 and the fire displaced about 20 residents.
McAlpine says the Hillside and other colonies are helping those who lost their housing.
Firefighters were called to the colony about six miles west of Sweetgrass at around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Firefighters, including three Canadian crews, battled the blaze for about nine hours.