CLARK - More than 75 firefighters from nine districts across the area struggled throughout Monday night and early Tuesday to contain a menacing wildfire whipped by ferocious winds.

The blaze was almost entirely extinguished by midday Tuesday, with crews working to mop up a few lingering hot spots.

No injuries were reported from the fire, which raged along Line Creek, but a cabin owned by Gretchen Hutton was destroyed, said Clark Fire Chief Dave Hoffert.

Hutton was traveling at the time of the fire, and it was unclear if the cabin was her primary residence or a seasonal home.

Two outbuildings were destroyed, including a detached garage owned by Mel and Connie King. A car owned by the Kings was also lost in the fire, which advanced to within 50 feet of the King home.

Park County Fire Marshal Russ Wenke said 24 engines assisted in fighting the blaze, with crews responding from Clark, Powell, Cody and Sunlight, along with Red Lodge, Belfry, Edgar, Bridger and Fromberg, Mont.

Some homes were evacuated as shifting winds pushed the blaze in many directions, and some firefighters were forced to shelter in place as the unpredictable fire left them with no viable escape route.

"I was more stuck than I've ever been before. We were trapped, and couldn't get out," Hoffert said Tuesday morning.

Hoffert said he and others spent much of the harrowing night on a small patch of defensible space protecting a two-story house against flames advancing from almost every direction.

"This stuff hits you a lot harder when it's in your own backyard," Hoffert said.

He said persistent high winds Monday night were among the worst seen in a community accustomed to gusts above 100 mph.

"It was just nuts," he said.

After a haystack near a home caught fire, wind blew large chunks of flaming hay against the home, Hoffert said.

The back window of one fire engine was shattered by a rock blown by a buffeting gust, he said.

Wenke said the winds were as bad as any he had experienced.

"Even without the fire, this wasn't a good place to be last night," Wenke said Tuesday.

The extreme wind was the reason for the unprecedented call for assistance from other fire districts, he said.

With more than 20 houses in the Line Creek Wilderness Subdivision potentially at risk, Wenke said, hard work by crews from across the region helped save a number of homes.

Hoffert said two fires in the area were both started by downed power lines Monday night.

Winds pushed the second, more severe fire through trees along the banks of more than a mile of Line Creek.

A break in the wind around 11 p.m. Monday led firefighters to believe they had the blaze beaten, or at least contained. But high winds returned after midnight and blew steadily until about 4 a.m., again putting firefighters on the defensive, Wenke said.

Light rain and snow fell from about 4 a.m. until after 9 a.m. Tuesday, allowing crews to finally extinguish most of the fire.

Wenke said three engines and crews from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management were working Tuesday to mop up remaining hot spots, including removing trees that could reignite if winds returned.

Additional crews from the Wyoming State Forestry Division were expected to arrive later Tuesday, he said.

An underground natural gas pipeline is buried along Road 1AB, which roughly parallels Line Creek. At some points, the road was bordered by flames.

A gas well and related buildings and equipment operated by Windsor Energy are located less than half a mile beyond what turned out to be the northern edge the blaze, near the King home.

"I don't know what kept it from going up over the hill," said Christina Denney, a Clark firefighter. "Maybe a lack of fuel is all I can guess, but it was quite impressive.

"The wind was unbelievable. It knocked me off my feet at one point," she said.