NorthwestJuly 9, 2008

HARVARD - The rural home of Millard H. and Linda Lutisha Strunk burned to the ground near here Tuesday evening and the cause of the blaze was still undetermined as of 10 p.m.

"I just went outside and came back and the back porch was on fire," said Millard Strunk, 88. His wife, also 88, was taken by ambulance to Gritman Medical Center in Moscow for treatment of burns.

"She was inside the house and she couldn't get the front door open," Millard Strunk said. "I don't know how it could have caught on fire."

Crews from the Potlatch Rural Fire District responded to the fire, which started around 7 p.m. But the house was fully involved by the time firefighters arrived, witnesses said. A number of neighbors also responded.

Electrical power had gone off in the area around 6:30 p.m., several people said, but it was unclear if there was any link to the fire. Flames towered into the sky as the blaze could be seen from miles away along State Highway 6.

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The Strunk property is located about one-half mile off the highway up Quartz Creek Road. The home and all its contents appear to be a total loss.

No information was available on the condition of Linda Strunk.

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Johnson may be contacted at deveryone@potlatch.com or (208) 883-0564.

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