Plex fire near Micron in Boise impacting air quality, expected to be controlled by Saturday

BOISE — Officials estimate a fire burning near Micron would be contained by Thursday evening and controlled by Saturday.

The brush fire was estimated to be about 350 acres as of 10 a.m. Thursday. It ignited Wednesday night in southeast Boise, said Bureau of Land Management Boise spokesperson Jared Jablonski.

Boise Fire Department, Eagle Fire and BLM Boise crews responded, with likely more than 50 personnel in total. The blaze was originally thought to have started on private land, but a fire investigator later determined the origin was on BLM land, Jablonski said.

The city had first dubbed the blaze the Eyele Fire, but the federal agency later named it the Plex Fire; the fire was first found near South Eyele Avenue and East Plexi Court, about 3 miles east of Micron’s headquarters on South Federal Way.

The fire’s cause is still under investigation, but officials said it seems likely to be human-caused.

Officials closed Idaho Highway 21 from South Technology Way to Warm Springs Avenue.

It caused power outages in the area, affecting about 1,600 customers early Thursday morning, according to Idaho Power spokesperson Sven Berg. By 10:45 a.m., there were 189 customers still without power.

Boise School District said Les Boise Junior High and Trail Wind Elementary School lost power, but both were restored by 11 a.m. Thursday.

The school district announced in an email that outdoor activities would be moved inside due to poor air quality. A decision about after-school extracurricular activities would be communicated to individual schools, the district email said. Masks were available for those who were sensitive or at-risk, the district said.

Idaho Power crews were escorted to the area Thursday morning by fire crews in order to restore power.

No mandatory evacuations were put in place, and no residences were threatened as of Thursday morning. One shed did burn, Jablonksi said.

Around 11 p.m. Wednesday, crews had the blaze about 80% contained, but a significant shift in the wind moved it toward a subdivision in the area, Jablonski said. Crews worked through the night, and by around 10 a.m. Thursday, activity had quieted down.

Guido covers Idaho politics for the Lewiston Tribune, Moscow-Pullman Daily News and Idaho Press of Nampa. She may be contacted at lguido@idahopress.com and can be found on Twitter @EyeOnBoiseGuido.