Smoke hangs in the wake of a weekend grass fire in southwest Boise. How long will this last?

A hay fire in southwest Boise was safely extinguished Monday afternoon, two days after Boise Fire Department firefighters responded to a blaze on the south side of Maple Grove Road Southwest Saturday night.

The fire burned more than 200 tons of grass before the firemen could bring it under control. But even with fire control, weeds continue to grow and cause smoke problems throughout southwest Boise.

Boise Fire Dept he tweeted on Sunday that continuous smoke will remain “in the area” for the next two days. On Monday afternoon, Boise Police Department spokeswoman Haley Kramer confirmed to the Idaho Statesman that “the fire is burning safely and crews are currently working to contain the fuel. The smoke is expected to dissipate in the next day or two.” be.”

The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Reddit users who were close to the fire complained that the smoke was causing problems such as headaches and constant sounding of smoke alarms.

One user said that Charter Pointe Subdivision“choked by smoke” south of where the fire broke out.

Air quality monitor PM 2.5, which monitors particulate matter found in smoke, is located in the west from the fire, showed good air quality until Monday afternoon. Monday morning the monitor was reading Yellow categorywhich warns people who are unusually sensitive to tobacco to reduce prolonged or strenuous exertion.

“All nearby residents are advised to keep their doors and windows closed and avoid being outside for long periods of time until the smoke clears,” Cramer said.

Why is the smoke sticking around?

Weather conditions around Boise aren’t helping to disperse the smoke either.

According to Stephen Parker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boise, the region will remain stagnant through at least Wednesday.

“Right now we have a light southeast wind in Boise,” Parker said. “But it’s only about 4 miles per hour, so it’s not going to spread smoke very quickly.”

A southeasterly wind means that the wind comes from the south and slowly blows the smoke northwest toward the Meridian.

“We expect very stagnant conditions to continue into Wednesday,” Parker said, “and possibly into Thursday, due to a very strong upper-level ridge that is over us.”