BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - National Guard troops and local police

were keeping a close eye on damaged property after a tornado

barreled through two Billings neighborhoods, tearing the roof off a

sports arena and several buildings.

The tornado struck at about 4:30 p.m. Sunday, running through

Main Street and damaging about 10 small businesses in the city's

northeast area before quickly moving toward the 10,000-seat Rimrock

Auto Arena about a half-mile away.

The twister hovered for about 15 minutes over the arena, which

often hosts concerts and rodeos but was mostly empty Sunday

afternoon.

"It would touch down and suck back up and touch down and touch

down again," said Trooper Toman Baukema of the Montana Highway

Patrol, who saw the tornado from a patrol station about a mile

away.

Trees and telephone poles were snapped and tangles of insulation

and metal roofing were left strewn for hundreds of yards - some of

it hanging from power lines.

About 20 members of the Montana National Guard and police

watched over the damaged properties Sunday night and early Monday

morning, Billings police Sgt. Kevin Iffland said last Sunday. There

were no deaths or major injuries and no one has been reported

missing, he said.

City workers labored past nightfall to clean up debris and

devastation left by the twister. Authorities hoped to clear Main

Street and reopen the heavily traveled thoroughfare for the Monday

morning commute. Hundreds of cars were backed up on the northbound

section of the street Sunday evening as gawkers slowed down to look

at the mess on the southbound side.

The tornado caused minor damage at a bar and several other

businesses but left just the walls of an auto glass store standing.

Much of the roof could be seen in a nearby creek.

Fas-Break Auto Glass owner Kevin Massick and several members of

his family picked through the shop's rubble, trying to salvage what

they could. But there was little left.

"I'm in a total daze," Massick said, his face creased with

emotion and tears welling up in his eyes. "It's a total loss, I

don't know what I'm going to do. Start over, I guess."

Wind speeds from the tornado were estimated to range between 111

and 135 mph, National Weather Service meteorologist Keith Meier

said. The last time Yellowstone County, which includes Billings,

had that scale of a tornado was July 2, 1958, he said.

John Schilling said he saw the tornado approach Sunday as he was

driving north on Main Street with his son. He had taken shelter

under a carport at a motel because of the heavy hail and strong

winds.

After a few minutes, Schilling saw the tornado envelop the Main

Street Casino and a laundromat, then start to head south in his

direction, hitting other businesses as it went.

"Then the roof came flying off that print shop, so we kept

going," the 42-year-old said. "I wasn't going to stick around."

The tornado struck as a big storm system with golf ball-sized

hail passed through the area.

The only reported injury was from someone hit in the head by a

hail stone. City officials were also dealing with power outages and

flooding from the storm, which sent about 2 feet of water into many

streets.