STANLEY, Idaho — The summer tourism season sustains businesses in Stanley for the year as they rely on people visiting this mountain town so that they can earn a living.
However, with the Bench Lake Fire burning south of Stanley business owners are worried as they are in the heart of the 12-week tourism season that runs from mid-June to mid-July.
"It is quiet," said Charles Thompson, the owner of Rivergear where people can shop to get the supplies they need for adventures around Stanley. "It has been quiet the last couple of days."
This weekend Stanley hosts the Sawtooth Festival for the Arts and Crafts. This two-day event features 75 vendors and it's one of the biggest weekends of the year in this small mountain town.
"That’s still planned, nothing has been canceled here," said Steve Botti, the mayor of Stanley. "My advice is to keep checking the reports on the status of the fire and the incident command issues those every day."
The fire did not grow on Thursday and the firefighters now have the Bench Lake Fire eight percent contained. The people of Stanley appreciate the effort from the firefighters.
"It’s a very difficult situation that they are working in, they are doing the best they can and they’ve done wonderful work," said Botti. "I couldn't be more appreciated of the work they have done."
The smoke is the big issue as that has contributed to poor air quality in Stanley. According to the Weather Channel the air quality rating is unhealthy for sensitive groups, but the general public is likely to be unaffected.
The Treasure Valley has the same rating, but it's at 102 while Stanley is worse at 129 on Friday morning. The air quality up in Stanley can change by the hour as it really depends on which direction the wind is blowing and how quickly it is gusting.
"The predominant wind comes from the northwest so it is blowing most of the smoke south of us," said Thompson. "Wo we still have all kinds of areas for people to go recreate with boating, biking, hiking and fishing."
Businesses in Stanley and the highways leading into town remain open. However, the most popular recreation area near Stanley remains closed. Redfish Lake was evacuated a week ago, but Thompson tells us there are several other things to do in the area.
"The restaurants are all open and there is great food in Stanley," said Thompson. "Everybody is still here waiting for the tourists to come back in."
At the community meeting on Wednesday one of the fire officials suggested consulting with your physician about the smoke and air quality.
The Sawtooth National Forest has also issued stage one fire restrictions for the area. That means campfires are only allowed in designated areas and dispersed campers should not light a fire.
