Half of Boise Foothills wildfire contained as blaze reaches nearly 10,000 acres

Fire crews continued to gain command of the Valley Fire in the Boise Foothills late Sunday and into Monday morning.

The wildfire that began early Friday morning on the southeast edge of the city grew slightly overnight, going from 9,412 acres to 9,892, Chad Cline, Bureau of Land Management Boise District fire information officer, told the Idaho Statesman.

“The acreage is still about the same, which is a good sign,” Cline said by phone.

Half of the fire is now contained — meaning a line was created around part of its perimeter to stop the spread — after crews brought the Valley Fire’s containment from 30% to 50% from Sunday to Monday morning, according to the agency.

The agency does not yet have an estimate for when it will be controlled, which is when the fire has been put out to the point that fire personnel are no longer working on it.

No structures have been lost, and there have been no injuries, Cline said.

The agency said crews are “making significant progress on the north, northeast and southeast sides, working hard to strengthen lines and mop up hot spots” while continuing to monitor the fire’s west side.

More personnel began assisting, increasing from 166 people Sunday to 248 Monday. The Bureau of Land Management plans to transfer command of the fire to a Nevada Type 3 team to allow local crews to be ready for any new fire starts, the agency said in its Monday report.

Cline said officials still don’t know what caused the fire and are continuing to investigate.

The Boise County Sheriff’s Office lowered evacuation levels over the weekend. Robie Creek moved down to Level 1, and Wilderness Ranch was removed from the evacuation readiness list.

The Boise Fire Department did not respond to the Idaho Statesman’s request for comment.

How to help

The Bureau of Land Management said there are several ways the public can make it easier for those fighting fires:

• Stay away from hiking trails within the fire area.

• Don’t fly drones near the fire. They make it difficult to use aerial firefighting resources like air tankers.

• Don’t call in smoke. BLM crews said they are aware of new fire spots. Cline said they have had issues with their dispatch number becoming congested by calls about the Valley Fire.

• With deer hunting season about to start, Cline said drivers should make sure their tire chains are greased and aren’t dragging. If used improperly, tire chains can create enough heat through road friction to throw off sparks.

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