Fire destroys home, knocks out phone service

A fire Thursday night destroyed a two-bedroom apartment and damaged a phone line, leaving 700 east end households without phone service.

The fire started about 6 p.m. after oil in a pan was left unattended on a hot stove, Havre Fire Chief Dave Sheppard said today. Only two of the four apartments in the complex were occupied. No one was injured in the blaze.

All four apartments were damaged, Sheppard said. The southernmost apartment was destroyed, and the other three sustained smoke damage, he added.

At 6:05 p.m., dispatch received an emergency call reporting a structure fire in the 200 block o...