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VICTOR- A fire, fanned by the high winds in Wednesday evening's lightning storms, destroys buildings and equipment at a vacant log home mill in the Bitterroot Valley.

The fire was reported Thursday evening during the height of the lightning storms that swept through the Bitterroot and Missoula Valleys.

Ravalli County Sheriff Chris Hoffman says the initial fire was spotted a few minute before the main thunderstorm moved over the central valley, so it's not known for certain whether a lighting strike might have started the fire at the old Glu-Lam-Log Incorporated mill.

However, Hoffman says the storm caused problems for Victor firefighters and Ravalli Sheriff's deputies as the high winds drove the flames from the burning buildings across a field to some nearby homes. But crews were able to contain the fire and limit the damage to the building next to the former mill's sawdust bin, leaving the bin and other storage buildings nearby intact.

There was no immediate word from the Victor Fire Department on the amount of damage to the building and any equipment it contained. The mill has been shutdown for several years with the property for sale.