Blaze Destroys Ronan Business, State Fire Marshall Inspecting

A fire that broke out at S&S Sports in Ronan on Monday, gutted the building and even spread to equipment outside.

Lake County Sheriff Don Bell said the fire was so bad, at least five different agencies responded not long after the first calls came in around 1:55 p.m.

"My 911 dispatch center received three 911 calls by people driving by the business on the highway and seeing smoke coming through the roof area," Bell said. "The smoke was so bad Montana DOT put out signs to get people to slow down. Fire crews battled the fire, but that building, in my estimation, is a total loss."

Fast winds fanned the flames out onto nearby vehicles.

"The fire guys, deputies and myself, moved nine machines, four-wheelers and quads," Bell said. "The people that owned the building and some of his friends moved a boat or two, that were on wheels by hand. But the stuff, but the boats to the north of the building... it was just too congested to get them out."

Bell said he didn’t even want to speculate on the cause of the fire yet. Because of the high cost and extensive damage caused by the fire, the state fire marshal has been called in to investigate.