The Department of Environmental Quality issued a yellow, or moderate, air quality alert for the Treasure Valley Monday. Those in sensitive groups, including the elderly, children and individuals suffering from respiratory illnesses, may want to limit their time outdoors.

Large fires burning northwest of Boise include the 9,000-acre Wesley Fire (northwest of New Meadows), the 29,0000-acre Sheep Fire (north of Riggins) and the 73,600-acre Cache Creek fire (near the Snake River on the Washington/Oregon border).

This summer the Treasure Valley has also been socked in by smoke from fires in Boise and Elmore Counties, including the Trinity Ridge fire (northwest of Featherville). Southeast winds carry smoke from 146,800-acre Trinity Ridge into the Valley overnight.

Other areas of the state have it worse.

Residents in the mountain towns of Idaho City and Garden Valley are dealing with air quality in the orange (unhealthy for sensitive groups) level Monday and the town of Salmon is in the red (unhealthy for everyone) level, according to DEQ reports.

Air quality in the Treasure Valley was poor in August, with 23 days that were moderate or poorer. The first week and a half of September the air quality was good, but smoke carried by northwest winds triggered a yellow air quality alert last Thursday.

Temperatures this week in the Boise area are expected to be in the 80s — as high as 89 on Thursday. The first day of autumn is Saturday.