No, Boise Isn’t on Fire—Yes, That Massive Smoke Plume Is Back

It's as predictable as death, taxes and Christmas: a local Facebook post that says 'What's the smoke coming from the airport!?'

Then the Facebook post goes crazy--with thousands of comments that are a mixed bag of 'following' or those mocking the all-too-regular question.

Yes, it's back this week. No, we aren't on fire Boise.

Here's a closer look at Boise's 'what's that smoke' drama that has once again returned:

Have you ever seen that black plume of smoke coming from the airport? 

It can certainly look scary from afar--and with everything going on in the world, it isn't tough to see why some may panic or wonder. Just remember, however, there's nothing to fear--it's beneficial training for our first responders.

The Boise Fire Department practices these airport fire trainings multiple times a year--particularly in the spring and in the fall.

The exercises were last practiced in April of this.

Will there be visible smoke near the airport in the coming days? Yes-- and you've been warned. Will there be more posts panicked over the smoke? Certainly, but hopefully a whole lot less with this warning.

While this fire training may be 'fun and games' with folks online--there's nothing fun about the fires that Boise saw late last summer when dozens of homes were threatened in the Boise foothills. Take a look back at the fire crews that were in action battling these flames with HUGE planes overhead.