City Government
Major Fire On Boise Bench
September 1, 2017 
A major fire erupted about 11 a.m. Friday in the parking lot of a Snake River Pool and Spa at Orchard and Clark Streets in Boise and quickly spread to Parkwood Apartments next door.
Boise fire department made a rapid and massive response with at lease nine apparatus. They made a quick stop, but many of the apartments will be unlivable. Officials said there were no injuries.
It appeared the huge plume of black smoke visible from throughout the city was caused by burning plastic hot tubs and shipping pallets. The intense heat and rapid spread of the fire created a challenge for firefighters.
GUARDIAN editor Dave Frazier is posting the copyrighted images which cannot be published or downloaded without permission.
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Comments & Discussion
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Sep 1, 2017, 1:09 pm
Hopefully no one hurt and hopefully they are insured. A little more smoke on top of all this wildland smoke won’t matter.
Question, it is not uncommon to see large piles of flammables such as wood pallets sitting out back of businesses. Any guidelines from the fire department on safer storage? Remember the PVC pipe fire under the Atlanta freeway… wow.
Good for the copyrighting Dave. I’ve notice legacy media is following you to the breaking news more and more these days.
Sep 2, 2017, 12:02 pm
Dave, thank you for your in-depth reporting and awesome photos. On the “fake news” (:)) all I heard was that “a fire broke out on the outside of an apartment building.” I had no idea about this other side of the story. Again, great to have an alternative view.
EDITOR NOTE–Truth is, I miss the old days of local news coverage. Thousands saw the smoke, heard the sirens, wondered about it. Boise FD did a very good job stopping the spread.
Sep 2, 2017, 6:30 pm
How do you get access to scenes? Are there press passes? Do you have one?how does one qualify? Who issues? I picture you in a fedora with the pass stuck in the hat band.
EDITOR NOTE–MY secret has always been to stay out of the way and not draw attention. A big camera with tripod and a van with the name of a legacy media on it can cut both ways, depending on whether or not the copper guarding the gate thinks you are cute.
Sep 6, 2017, 10:52 am
We still haven’t heard the cause of the first spark. I will be listening. Listening because there are dozens of homes, many on the bench, that pile up wood like this. More wood than a household could burn. Neighbors should be asking for assurances that the fire dept will be at their home with many engines when they go poof. And I guess just hope that the keepers of the wood piles do have insurance. Fire is very scary, isn’t it?
EDITOR NOTE– Prime suspect is tossed cigarette. You are correct about piling up fuel.