While most of us were sleeping, the Kalispell Fire Department was fighting a blaze that knocked out electricity to a west side neighborhood and Internet service to thousands.
The building at 6th Avenue West and Center Street was fully-engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived at 2:45 Tuesday morning. Fire Chief Dan Pearce tells us they were able to knock-down the fire quickly, but returned later in the morning to guard against hot spots. Firefighters from Whitefish, Evergreen and Smith Valley collaborated with their Kalispell counterparts.
It was flames from the fire that damaged power lines and fiber-optic lines that provide our Internet service, which returned to most by around 8:30. Full repair of the lines will take most of a week.
