MILES CITY – A strong storm blasted through Miles City on Saturday evening, downing trees, damaging property, and causing a widespread power outage.
No tornadoes were reported, but wind gusts of up to 72 mph were reported.
The Custer County Firefighters Facebook page issued this press release early Sunday:
Miles City could be without power for anywhere between 24-36 hours. This is just an estimate. Landlines are down as well for some carriers. We are aware of powerlines down all over town and around the entire county. Please do not call dispatch unless it is an emergency. Treat all powerlines as if they are live. Please do not burn candles for a light source in your home. We will be doing a damage assessment in the daylight. Anyone who has any families or friends on oxygen, please check on them. Please do not put your tree branches in the street. The priorities for electricity will be the hospital, the water treatment plant, and then everything else. This will take time. MDU has called in all available resources to assist. Be patient, we’ll get through this together!
Miles City residents are without power across much of the city, with the MDU outage map website showing more than 1,600 customers without power.
Cory Cheguis at the Custer County Fire Department said Saturday evening that fuel is also a big concern with none currently available in town.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.