Idaho Offers Settlement To Couple In Forest Fire Case The Couple Unknowingly Towed A Burning Car. It Sparked A Fire That Cost $1.3 Million To Put Out.

Roger Mattes, a lawyer for the Howards, declined to comment. The couple, who live in Lake Ariel, east of Scranton, could not be reached. In an interview last spring, they said their insurance coverage totalled about $350,000.

The forest fire started when the Howards were driving in their 31-foot, second-hand motor home along a scenic highway north of Boise on July 17, 1992, towing a Honda Civic. The right rear tire on the Honda apparently blew, then caught fire as the Howards drove on unaware of what was happening.

As they drove, sparks and pieces of burning rubber ignited the dry underbrush along the road and eventually spread into a forest fire that consumed 6,258 acres. Hundreds of firefighters, six aircraft and several bulldozers took four days to control the fire.

Frederick Howard, 67, a World War II Marine Corps aviator, and Jeanne Howard, 71, drove for eight miles before they realized the trouble and pulled over. By then, much of the Honda was in flames, along with a lot of the countryside.

A few months after they got home, Idaho billed them $1,313,105.10 for fighting the fire, then sued to collect.