7,000+ acre Valley Fire spreading along Hwy 21 in Boise foothills

UPDATE (Oct. 4, 7 p.m.): As of around 7:00 p.m. the fire has burned an estimated 7,871 acres.

UPDATE (Oct. 4, 5 p.m.): Boise residents in the area north of Warm Springs Avenue and between Wild Horse Lane/Table Rock Road and Highway 21 should be aware of fire activity in their area. All areas that were previously in “SET” have returned to “READY” status.

Based on expected wind conditions tonight, crews will be closely monitoring conditions and strengthening fire lines.

Stay alert for further notifications — a map of the evacuation areas that people should be aware in Boise is included below.

City of Boise

“This fire, while challenging all of our agencies operationally, has also demonstrated the strong relationships with our mutual partners. I am proud of our Boise firefighters, for working so well together in an effort to keep our community safe,” said Boise Fire Chief Mark Niemeyer in a press release. “I’d also like to express my gratitude to our partner fire agencies in the valley for providing additional personnel to support our response area while our crews are engaged in fighting this fire, ensuring that emergency coverage in the city remains intact.”

The Valley Fire sparked early Friday morning along Highway 21 in east Boise, and has already burned thousands of acres in the Boise foothills.

Latest estimates around 3:00 p.m. put the fire at around 4,000 acres.

Residents in Robie Creek and Harris North are urged to prepare to evacuate and pay close attention to CodeRED evacuation notices and updates on the Boise County Sheriff's Facebook Page and the Boise Fire Facebook Page .

Photo courtesy Doug Lock-Smith, KIVI

A portion of Warm Springs Rd. from Highway 21to Eckert Rd. was closed to the public for much of Friday to allow fire crews easy access.

Authorities directed East Junior High School and Dallas Harris Elementary School to close Friday, per the Idaho Department of Lands. Any students who were already on the bus to school Friday morning were taken to Les Bois Junior High, where parents/guardians could pick them up.

Drivers are asked to avoid the area while crews work to contain the active fire.

Helicopters are on scene dropping water on the fire, along with several crews from the Boise Fire Department and the Bureau of Land Management.

The Boise District BLM initially responded to the Valley Fire with four overhead, five engines, two dozers, Boise City Fire, and one investigator.