Fire destroys residence at 604 Johnson Ave.

A fire destroyed a residence at 604 Johnson Ave. in Orofino Tuesday evening.

The occupant was not home at the time. The State Fire Marshal is coming to investigate the cause of the fire, according to Orofino Fire Chief Bart Jones.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the residence and no vehicles were damaged, Jones said. The biggest challenge was the ice which quickly formed from the water being put on the fire.

In addition to the 11 firefighters from OFD, Clearwater County Ambulance, Clearwater County Sheriff's Office and Orofino Police Department responded. Jones said the additional agencies were a lot of help with the situation. Sunnyside Rural Fire Department was also called out, but stood down before arrival.

This is a shot of the scene from 4th St. below Johnson Ave. Smoke is seen rising from the fire. The numerous colored lights are from emergency vehicles. The fire hose was strung down across the gabion baskets in the center of the photo, across Johnson to a fire hydrant near the white van on the right.