Hey, where did our Boise Foothills go?! Officials explain why the smoky skies persist

Treasure Valley residents may have forgotten what the Boise Foothills look like after waking up to another day of gray, hazy skies. Officials say two eastern Oregon wildfires are to blame.

The largest is the Cow Valley Fire in Malheur County , which spanned 132,528 acres as of Monday morning after spreading quickly, according to the Vale Bureau of Land Management. It’s not producing the most smoke, though. That distinction goes to the Falls Fire, burning near Burns.

The Cow Valley Fire lies south of the Malheur Reservoir, east of Brogan and Jamieson, and north of Bully Creek Reservoir. Its spread has been driven mostly by the wind, which pushed its western edge toward East Prong Dry Creek, according to the Vale Bureau of Land Management.

Firefighters created a line around the fire’s 163-mile perimeter to the north, east and south, while “aviation resources dropped water and fire retardant on the western edges,” the bureau said. The Oregon State fire marshal said its task forces have been working to protect structures in communities along U.S. Highway 26 and in the town of Westfall.

“Firefighters are working around the clock to suppress the Cow Valley Fire,” the bureau said. “There is currently a day shift, swing shift, and night shift operating as fire conditions allow.”

Some residents have left their homes. The Malheur County Sheriff’s Office directed evacuees to the Red Cross Evacuation Shelter in Ontario, a county fairground that can accommodate large animals for ranchers.

The threat to the community had “decreased significantly” by Monday morning, according to the bureau.

Falls Fire bringing in smoke

The National Weather Service said the Falls Fire is causing even more smoke to be blown over the Boise region. It spanned 64,225 acres Monday and was burning about 13 miles north of Burns. None of the fire has been contained.

“At the moment, it looks like the Falls Fire is the more smoky one, but they’re both putting out a lot of smoke,” National Weather Service meteorologist Les Colin told the Idaho Statesman.

Winds are predicted to blow the Oregon smoke eastward before it eventually moves southeast toward Boise, according to Colin. More spoke is expected to stay in Oregon today, which could mean a bit of a break for the Treasure Valley, Colin said.

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality issued a yellow/moderate air quality advisory for Boise, meaning “unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion.”

More than 600 people were working to contain the Falls Fire as of Monday morning, along with two helicopters, six single-engine air tankers, two large air tankers, two very large air tankers, 42 fire engines, 13 bulldozers, and 15 water tenders, according to the Falls Fire Facebook page.

Fire officials said Falls Fire evacuation notices remain in effect for Grant and Harney counties in the Malheur National Forest.

Bench Lake Fire doubles in size

While not a cause of Boise’s smoke, the Bench Lake Fire continues to be a concern in Idaho. It doubled in size on Sunday, going from 350 acres to 738 acres, the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office said. The fire’s containment is at 0% as it burns to the west of popular summer destination Redfish Lake in the Sawtooth Range.

Scooping aircraft and helicopters transported 370,000 gallons of water from Redfish Lake to the fire Sunday until high winds forced them to halt at about 5:30 p.m., according to a social media post from the Blaine sheriff’s office.

Officials warned that the emergency closure issued for the Redfish Lake recreation complex remains in effect, including the lodge, additional buildings, roads, trails, trail heads and campgrounds.