Where’s the smoke coming from? Is it Rush Creek or Meadow Valley?

As dark clouds of smoke appeared above the horizon this afternoon visible from all points in Quincy and American Valley, a debate broke out on social media pages as to what was causing the plumes?

It’s the backfires in Meadow Valley said one camp.

It’s increased fire activity in Rush Creek said another.

Turns out it’s both.

Mike Theune, public information officer for the incident command team based in Quincy, said that the increased smoke over Meadow Valley came from fuel burning within the interior of the perimeter, but also as the result of a couple of spot fires. The spots are northwest of Spanish Creek and crews are in the area surrounding the spots.

As for the fire near Rush Creek, it’s moving on a couple of fronts, and as it pushes north, it’s hitting a fuel type change that is producing more smoke. The fire is also burning near structures along Rush Creek Road and crews are providing structure protection. Theune said that it probably looks pretty intense for residents who remained in the area because the area is surrounded by fire.

Theune said that these two areas are good reminders of why it’s important to heed evacuation orders. Both Meadow Valley and Rush Creek have mandatory evacuation orders in place.