MADISON COUNTY — From the hill along Highway 287 near the historic Bozeman Trail, charred ground stretches across Madison County, just one of the results of the McAllister fire that tore through the area on Saturday.

“The outcome is about as good as it possibly could have been,” said Larry Shore, owner of WesTrends Hats and Western Wear.

Larry and his wife, Terry, have operated their shop off Highway 287 for nearly 20 years. On Saturday, they got a warning call from a neighbor about a lightning-caused fire, later named the McAllister Fire.

The Shores picked up an elderly neighbor to check on the flames.

“The fire was crossing the road right when we got there, varying people have said anywhere from 5 to 10 to 20-foot flames and we knew we weren’t going to get back across,” Larry said.

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