Storm pounds East Valley
Dan and Debbie Kauffman survey the damage from the tree that snapped off Sunday and landed on their house on Bachelor Grade Road. (Becky Malewitz/Daily Inter Lake)
A violent storm packing high winds, hail, lightning and heavy rain cut a narrow swath through the east Flathead Valley on Sunday afternoon, causing extensive damage.
Creston Fire Chief Gary Mahugh said his department got busy fast as the storm plowed in around 4:30 p.m.
"Things were crazy," Mahugh said. "It started with a report of a sailboat tipped over in Lake Blaine with people in the water and from there it progressed to reports of lines down, trees down and a structure fire on Middle Road."
When emergency responders arrived at Lake Blaine, they could not spot anyone in the water, but the overturned boat was at the north end of the lake.
"We found out that they had apparently been picked up by someone in a boat and taken to the other side of the lake," Mahugh said, adding that all four people who were in the water were rescued.
The structure fire on Middle Road was ignited by a lightning strike about 20 feet up a tree close to the house.
The strike somehow rebounded into the home's wiring and a breaker box in the crawl space.
"Luckily, the homeowner was there when it occurred so the reporting was immediate," Mahughs said, adding that Creston firefighters quickly contained and extinguished the fire.
The Flathead County Sheriff's Office fielded numerous calls about downed trees and power lines as far south as the Jewel Basin Road area and as far north as the Lake Blaine area.
Mahugh said the worst damage appeared to be along Bachelor Grade Road.
"The thing that stands out is the force of the wind that came through Bachelor Grade Road," he said. "I'm guessing there were about 100 trees down in that area … I'm sure we had winds in excess of 60 miles per hour."
One large tree crashed into the roof of the home of Dan and Debbie Kauffman on Bachelor Grade Road.
Residents in the Quail Ridge subdivision, just south of Lake Blaine Road, endured hail as large as golf balls raining down for up to half an hour, along with high winds.
Awnings on homes were dented, gardens were flattened, windows were broken and basements were flooded. Mahugh said there were reports of as much as an inch of rain falling in the area during the storm.
Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com