Where is smoke in the Boise area coming from? New, old wildfires burn across Idaho
The Moose, Woodtick and Wolf Fang fires are still raging in Central Idaho, and a new blaze — the Favre Fire near Midvale in Washington County — brought fresh smoke to the Treasure Valley on Wednesday night.
The Favre Fire, identified at around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, spread to about 2,431 acres, but it is expected to be contained by noon on Thursday and controlled by 8 p.m., Boise Bureau of Land Management spokesperson Jared Jablonski told the Idaho Statesman.
Jablonski said the fire has not resulted in any injuries or damage to buildings, and its cause is still under investigation.
A tweet from the Boise National Weather Service showed smoke from the Favre Fire at the airport in Caldwell on Wednesday evening, but Jablonski said on Thursday that he did not expect any further smoke impact.
Stephen Parker, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service in Boise, said that the impact of the smoke was “minimal” and that most smoke in the area Thursday was actually coming from the Moose Fire.
The Boise BLM, Payette National Forest, Midvale Fire Protection District, Weiser Rural Fire Department, Council Fire Department, Cambridge Fire Protection District and Weiser River Rural Fire Protection Association responded to the Favre Fire, which Jablonski said burned some BLM land but mainly was on private land.
Hot and dry conditions across the Treasure Valley and Southwest Idaho are a concern for the BLM, Jablonski said. Temperatures could reach 108 degrees in parts of the region this week.
“The public needs to really be aware because it is so hot and dry out there,” Jablonski said. “We’re in most areas in very high fire danger, but we are getting pretty darn close to the extreme fire danger rating.”
Central Idaho fires continue to burn in Salmon-Challis National Forest
The Moose Fire, the largest in Idaho, has spread to 40,388 acres and is only 15% contained, according to a Thursday news release. The cause of the fire remains undetermined, and the expected containment date is Aug. 30.
The release said 877 personnel have responded to the fire, including 59 engines and three helicopters.
The Woodtick Fire has spread to 1,814 acres and is expected to be contained by Sept. 1. The Wolf Fang Fire has spread to 768 acres and should be contained by Oct. 1. Lightning caused both of those fires, officials said.
All three fires have been burning for more than a week and have caused closures, evacuations and other fire precautions in the Salmon-Challis National Forest.
That area was under a Red Flag Warning for thunderstorms and high winds that could cause “erratic fire behavior” on Thursday.
Differences in fuel, terrain lead to varied fire outcomes
Jablonski said the reason the Favre Fire near Midvale could be controlled in a little over a day, when smaller fires like the Woodtick and Wolf Fang take weeks or months, has to do with fuel types and Idaho’s topography.
The Favre Fire mainly burned grass and occurred across rolling hills. The fires in the Salmon-Challis National Forest are burning timber, grass and brush, and the terrain there makes them far less accessible.
Jablonski said that in areas with timber, the fuel is more dense than in grassy areas, and “it just takes a lot longer a lot of the time to feel secure that that fire is out and not going to go over the control lines and rekindle.”
He added that because grass dries out quickly, but also becomes saturated with water quickly, fires burning through that type of fuel become easier to “mop up.”
This story was originally published July 28, 2022 at 12:33 PM.
