Rural Idaho Homeowners Out Of Luck For Fire Protection Services

A house fire almost completely destroyed a home early Tuesday in an unincorporated section of south Latah County that is not part of a city or rural fire protection district, the Latah County Sheriff’s Office said. The occupants of the residence, located on Cedar Ridge Road about 12 miles east of Kendrick and 15 miles east of Juliaetta, were able to escape without injury after smoke was detected. They reported it to authorities at about 3:30 a.m. "It’s disheartening for something like this to happen. We’re in this business to be helping people," Juliaetta Fire Chief Mike McGee said.