Firefighters in Montana, Colorado Helped by Breaks in the Weather

A cold front that swept into Montana brought two huge range fires to a smoldering standstill, and dying winds in Colorado helped firefighters battling an arson blaze that destroyed 10 homes near Boulder.

There were no serious injuries reported in either state.

The Montana fires were the largest of a swarm that swept over an estimated 38,000 acres of grass and timber Friday night and Saturday, racing across the central Montana range on winds that gusted up to 100 m.p.h.

Several homes were destroyed, and ranches lost numerous out-buildings.

More than 360 firefighters returned Sunday morning to a fire that burned across 25,000 acres east of Great Falls, said a spokeswoman for the Lewis and Clark National Forest.

Snow was forecast for the area late Sunday, and officials expected to contain the fire Tuesday.

Arcing power lines whipped by winds were suspected as the cause of the blaze.

Snowfall Sunday also helped in fighting a blaze that burned about 10,000 acres near a tiny community north of Lewiston, officials said.

In Colorado, firefighters took advantage of a break in the wind and worked to lay down a fire line around a 7,000-acre fire that destroyed 10 homes in the foothills northwest of Boulder on Saturday.