In the midst of wildfire season, Idaho’s been hit with a significant wildfire in a highly visited area.
The Bench Lake fire, in Stanley and the Sawtooth National Forest, began last Thursday around noon and is 1 mile west of Redfish Lake.
Southwest of that, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality has issued an orange air quality advisory of 103 for Ada and Canyon counties, meaning the air is unhealthy for sensitive populations.
The Bench Lake fire, which had burned 66 acres as of Friday afternoon and forced evacuations and an emergency closure of the Redfish Lake recreation complex, could make those air quality levels worse.
The Redfish Lake closure includes its recreation complex, which features the lake’s lodge and associated buildings, roads, trails, trailheads, and campgrounds, and a small buffer area around the complex, according to a news release from the U.S. Forest Service.
“We are letting folks know that the order is coming now in hopes of catching visitors before they head this direction,” Sawtooth National Recreation Area Ranger Kirk Flannigan said in a Friday afternoon news release. “With the concentration of fuels in the Sawtooth Wilderness, the unusual weather pattern we’re experiencing right now, and the proximity of the fire to a very popular recreation destination, we believe it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
According to Michael Toole, regional airshed coordinator from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, it’s fires in Oregon that were sending smoke through the Treasure Valley as of Friday.
“We have two things we’re looking at: we’re looking at particulate matter, which would be the smoke, and then also ground level ozone formation,” Toole said in an interview with the Idaho Press. “And the problem is that in the summertime’s hot temperatures, that’s when we see higher levels of ozone and then when we have light wildfire smoke, it just creates a bigger problem for ozone.”
There are seven wildfires in Oregon currently, Toole said, and five of those are in the eastern part of the state, close to the Idaho border.
“You couldn’t put the fires in a worse spot for us,” Toole said. “With our predominant wind direction coming out of the Northwest, any smoke generated from that is just being pushed right through us, both at ground level and above.”
Two of the fires are over 10,000 acres, Toole said, but the others are around 5,000 and perimeters are being set up.
It’s not all bad though. Since there has been a fairly consistent wind rolling through the valley, the smoke won’t settle and will eventually clear away, Toole said. Regardless, Toole doesn’t expect any big changes this weekend as far as air quality goes, and next week he expects the valley will remain in the high yellow to orange categories.
“I’m honestly surprised we didn’t start seeing more of this earlier because of how dry we were,” Toole said. “This seems to be the time of year that we start seeing these fires.”
Burn restrictions are also in effect in both counties, meaning outdoor burning, wood-stove and fireplace use are currently prohibited. The current air quality levels impact sensitive populations — folks with already existing respiratory issues, senior populations and those with asthma. An air quality map is available online at deq.idaho.gov .
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