Fire crews ‘making steady progress,’ slow spread of Boise Foothills blaze overnight

Fire crews prevented the Valley Fire in the Boise Foothills from growing overnight and made progress at containing it.

The wildfire that began early Friday morning on the southeast edge of the city was listed at zero containment Saturday, but fire crews working overnight were able to reach 33% containment by Sunday morning, according to the Bureau of Land Management. The agency said 166 people were working on the fire.

The fire burned 9,412 acres by 7 p.m. Saturday, but had spread no further by Sunday, Chad Cline, Bureau of Land Management Boise District fire information officer, told the Idaho Statesman.

No structures were lost, and no injuries have been reported, according to the BLM. Roads remained open on Sunday. The agency is still investigating the Valley Fire’s cause.

Officials do not yet have an estimate for when the fire will be fully contained and controlled, according to Cline.

Cline told the Idaho Statesman that crews spent the night and early morning focused on the fire’s eastern side.

“The east side of the fire presents unique challenges with dense timber and steep terrain, but our crews are resilient and making steady progress,” the bureau said in a social media post. “Aircraft and ground crews are tackling these tough areas with determination and skill.”

A plane drops fire retardant just north of homes in Harris Ranch on Friday.
A plane drops fire retardant just north of homes in Harris Ranch on Friday.

On Sunday, fire crews were focused on strengthening containment lines, monitoring for remaining hot spots on the west side of the fire, and ensuring “every effort is made to overcome the terrain and timber challenges” on its east side.

Cline said Boise residents may see smoky spots on the back sides of Bogus Basin or Shaw Mountain, but asked them not to report the problem.

“Our crews are aware of them, and they’re addressing them as they come up,” Cline said by phone. “This morning, we had a little flare-up interior that took place. We received a ton of calls, and that takes up our dispatch.”

Officials in Boise County were able to lower evacuation levels set over the weekend. Robie Creek moved down to a Level 2 and Wilderness Ranch was removed from the evacuation readiness list, according to the Boise County Sheriff’s Office.