Sheriff: Fire destroys Townsend lumber mill facing sale

TOWNSEND, Mont. (AP) — A fire destroyed a closed lumber mill in Townsend less than a month before its buildings and equipment were to be sold at auction, Broadwater County Sheriff Wynn Meehan said Friday.

The fire was reported at 11:30 p.m. Thursday at the RY Timber mill and the building was fully engulfed when Meehan arrived about 30 minutes later, he said.

"Literally from one side to the other, it was one big ball of flame and I thought 'Oh my Lord,'" he said.

The cause of the fire will be determined by the state fire marshal and insurance investigators, Meehan told the Independent Record.

The mill has been closed since January 2019 and was being prepared for an auction in June, general manager Dan Richards said. Items up for auction include CAT tractors, mill equipment and three buildings, according to the auction listing.

Richards did not have a damage estimate.