Months after the Hugo Road fire, some Josephine County residents are outraged after receiving a bill for the firefight.
Hugo resident Guy Finley is one of many home owners whose property was threatened by the fire in September. While he is happy his property is still standing, he was not happy after receiving an almost $5,500 bill from Rural Metro Fire, which is a private fire protection company operating out of Grants Pass.
"When the fire first became evident, we called 911 and were basically told there was no help available to come up and that we should evacuate immediately," Finley said. While most counties and cities have tax-serviced fire departments, there is a 250-square-mile area around the outskirts of Grants Pass that is not automatically covered by any public department, which means these residents have to subscribe to fire protection agencies.