Tornado damages businesses, arena

? A tornado that ripped the roof off a sports arena Sunday evening also tore through businesses, damaging a bar and a casino and leaving just the walls of an auto glass shop standing.

The tornado struck about 4:30 p.m. as a big storm system with golf ball-sized hail passed through the area, National Weather Service meteorologist Keith Meier said.

After running through Main Street in the city’s northeast area, the twister quickly moved toward the 10,000-seat Rimrock Auto Arena about a half-mile away, where it hovered for about 15 minutes, snapping trees and telephone poles.

There were no reported deaths and no one has been reported missing, Billings police Sgt. Kevin Iffland said.