Tear the Roof off the Sucker

A tornado with winds over 100 mph whipped through Billings, Montana ripping the roof off the largest arena in the state. The 12,000 seat Rimrock Auto Arena was set to host the Montana state fair this summer and the Indoor Football League's Billings Outlaws were supposed to have their first playoff game this week is now out of commission.

Yellowstone County commissioner John Ostlund referred to the damage as "A total disaster. Absolutely nothing is left of it. It isn’t just the cover (the roof), it’s the whole structure."

On Saturday the Outlaws played their final regular-season game, getting a win to take them into the playoffs and then Sunday, with a blast of wind their home was gone.

Overall, the building sustained over $15 million in damages, fortunately, the building is insured up to $45 million, so theoretically it should be put right. Engineers however are examining the structure and the location and may determine the location is no longer tenable.

[Billings Gazette via Sports by Brooks]