Emergency workers continued to search for a missing woman in the rubble covering half of a downtown city block Friday after an explosion Thursday flattened several Main Street businesses. Recovery operations were suspended Friday night for safety concerns, but will begin again this morning, said Bozeman Fire Chief Jason Shrauger. The search is challenging and dangerous work. Well have to go through the debris pile, literally stick by stick, brick by brick, said assistant city manager Chuck Winn. Search dogs and their handlers joined the search Friday as emergency workers sifted through debris, searching for the woman authorities have so far declined to identify. Advertisement * Its a pretty broad area, Shrauger said. Its a complicated and difficult task theyre trying to accomplish. NorthWestern Energy shut off leaking natural gas around midnight Thursday and firefighters subsequently doused the blaze, enabling crews to shift from emergency response to investigation and recovery Friday morning, Winn said. The power company, the Montana Public Service Commission, investigators with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and local fire officials are attempting to recreate the circumstances leading up the explosion that rocked downtown Bozeman shortly after 8 am, Thursday. More than 70 firefighters from departments throughout Gallatin County responded to the incident, said City Manager Chris Kukulski. They dropped their real jobs to come over and help <b>...</b>
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