BOISE, Idaho — A fire that’s roughly 400 miles away — and not to the west or northwest of Boise — brought a wall of smoke and lower air quality to the Treasure Valley on Thursday night, and it will stick through the weekend, the National Weather Service said.
The Island Creek Fire near Elk Creek in north-central Idaho is producing the large amounts of smoke that traveled south and into much of Southwest Idaho over the past 24 hours, according to the agency.
There are no big fires in eastern Oregon at the moment, and a half-dozen Idaho fires closer to Boise, but smoke from the nearly 7,000-acre Island Creek Fire somehow has made its way to the valley.
Boise NWS senior meteorologist Les Colin said forecasters expect conditions to “get worse before they get better.” The weather service predicted that the smoke would linger throughout much of area through the weekend, with Saturday having the worst conditions.
As of Friday afternoon, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality deemed the air “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” The department issued a “moderate” air quality forecast through the weekend, starting Saturday and going through Monday, which means younger children or people with respiratory conditions could be at risk.
The Island Creek Fire, detected Aug. 1, is at 6,831 acres with only 5% containment. According to the U.S. Forest Service, the fire grew 1,024 acres over the past week, mostly into steep, rugged terrain.
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That fire is producing the most smoke drifting to the area, but other fires are contributing to particle count in the air, Colin said. Much closer to Boise, the Rock Fire near Cascade is burning at 2,813.4 acres. The fire was first detected Aug. 12 and was started by lightning.
“Looking at satellite, you may notice a milky white color across Idaho. This is wildfire smoke from multiple wildfires burning within the state,” the weather service said on social media.” This smoke is expected to expand south throughout the day and bring hazy skies, and even reduced visibilities.”
According to IQAir, Boise’s air has particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometers in diameter or less. That matter is small enough to be absorbed into the bloodstream when inhaled. Short-term health risks, especially for sensitive populations, can include eyes, throat and nose irritation, asthma attacks, coughing and shortness of breath.
“It’s probably a good idea not to overexert yourself out there in the smoke. You don’t want to breathe in too much of it,” Colin said. “Some people who are sensitive to smoke might want to stay inside.”
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