Rigby shop fire causes approximately $350,000 in damage

PHOTOS: A shop fire in Rigby caused nearly $350,000 worth of damage Wednesday morning. A news release from the Central Fire District says firefighters were dispatched to 4040 East 100 North at 7:36 a.m. for a report of smoke coming from a shop. A neighbor told dispatch they could “see a large amount of smoke coming from the outbuilding/shop.” The first arriving Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputy said heavy black smoke was coming out of a shop that was approximately 60 feet by 40 feet. Central Fire dispatched equipment from all four of their stations and requested a water tender from the Ucon Fire Department. After the first water tender arrived, firefighters opened the building and “attacked the seat of the fire.” Central Fire District Chief Carl Anderson says the fire appears to have started near a hitch of a newer Toy Hauler, a fifth-wheel RV trailer.
East Idaho News

Lapwai Fire Crews Quickly Extinguish Vehicle Fire

The Lapwai Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to a vehicle fire near the intersection of US95 and Webb Road on Tuesday evening. According to Fire Chief William Skiles, fire crews were dispatched around 8:40 p.m. Upon arrival, firefighters found a Ford pickup that reportedly had blown a tire near Culdesac but continued to drive about 6 miles to a residence on Cherry Drive, located about a tenth of a mile from the US95 intersection with Webb Road. The driver of the pickup was reportedly unaware of the fire. Crews were on scene for about an hour. Only the box and the passenger side rear cab of the pickup were damaged. No injuries were reported.
Big Country News Connection

Fire put out at Meridian business, no one hurt

Meridian Firefighters put out a fire at a business on the 400 block of Franklin. The fire started at 6:15 PM. Arriving firefighters saw smoke and flames coming from the building. Meridian Fire Department says their fast work likely saved thousands of dollars worth of equipment. No one was hurt. A cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
KBOI-TV CBS 2 Boise

Extreme drought reported in North Idaho

VIDEO: While the Washington State Department of Ecology declared a drought declaration, extreme drought has been reported in North Idaho by the U.S. Drought Monitor. The panhandle mountains are 15 inches below average precipitation, according to Dan Borsum, a Predictive Services Meteorologist for Northern Rockies Coordination Center, which is contracted through the U.S. Forest Service. What does this mean for wildfire season? Borsum said Monday it really depends on how much precipitation we receive in May and June. “If that does not arrive, then certainly, our predictions from the Northern Rockies Coordination Center are going to dramatically shift toward much greater concern," Borsum said. The snowpack and lack of precipitation early this spring positioned North Idaho for severe to extreme drought.
KHQ-TV NBC 6 Spokane