Wildfire destroys 24 houses in central Montana town

By AMY BETH HANSON
Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A late-season wildfire pushed by strong winds has ripped through a tiny central Montana farming town, burning two dozen homes and four grain elevators that had stood for more than a century. Fergus County officials were assessing the damage in Denton on Thursday while crews continued to mop up hot spots in the fire, which had burned 20 square miles of prairie and agricultural land. No one was hurt. About 300 residents were evacuated early Wednesday afternoon when a fire that had started about 6 miles away the night before pushed across the drought-stricken area. The evacuation order was lifted at noon on Thursday. Bridges on the road and railroad tracks west of town burned.