After a lengthy two-day battle, Silver Valley fire personnel are finally coming close to completely containing the fire that broke out in the hills of Kellogg and spread to Wardner.

The fire, which was reported at 2:43 p.m. Wednesday, officially took down 17.3 acres of land between Kellogg and Wardner. By Thursday morning, fire officials believed they had the exterior of the fire contained, but were still battling a few hot spots throughout Kellogg.

Glenn Lauper, a Coeur d'Alene fire official who is serving as the Public Information Officer, said the fire was still burning in spots, and they will have a full crew on hand to fight it.

"The fire is still actively burning. We still have a few places to tie up," he said. "We've got 40 guys up there now working on it, and we will have up to 80 later in the day. It's been contained to Kellogg and is nearly complete, but there are still some steep rocky parts that we have to get to."

Large burnt scars and completely desolate areas of burnt timber and land can be seen on the hillside along Silver Avenue. Lauper believes the fire was able to spread so rapidly because of the arid weather. "There was low humidity and high temperatures and high winds. That's a recipe for fire," he said.

No residential or commercial structures were damaged, though the flames came to within 50 feet of a handful of houses. There were no casualties, and the only damage done to any structures was to several high transmission power lines that were promptly shut down by Avista Utilities to ensure everyone's safety. No residences or businesses in the area experienced any power disruption. Flames also came within 50 yards of the Silver Mountain Gondola, which continued running vacated gondolas as part of its fire prevention plan.

"The fire burned within 50 feet of six homes and were protected by four structure fire engines from Kellogg, Forest Service and the Idaho Department of Lands crews," Lauper said. "Silver Mountain immediately activated their emergency fire plan for the gondola, which started the Gondola running to prevent heat and fire damage to the cabins and cable. The Silver Mountain Gondola was shut down after the fire threat was eliminated from the structures at 8:21 p.m."

The fire officials within the Silver Valley and out of it have shown an incredible willingness and adeptness to working together as one solid unit. Coeur d'Alene firefighters made their way into the valley to offer their help, and more than six agencies have combined their efforts to keep this fire from spreading toward any structure. A helicopter from Montana dropped water on the peak of the fire from a water bucket, and four fixed wing aircraft were used.

District No. 2 Fire Chief Dale Costa, who is in charge of the operation, believes the group he has put together is strong, and has worked cohesively together since the first alarm went off.

"We're working as a team here, everyone is working together the way they are supposed to," he said. "We are all working as one big strong unit here."

The fire remains under investigation, and the six agencies are working to try and find the root of the fire that claimed more than 17 acres. The Shoshone County Fire District No. 2, United States Forest Service, the Idaho Department of Lands, the Kellogg Police Department, the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office and the Idaho State Fire Marshal are looking for any pictures or videos from right before the fire department got to the scene at 2:46 p.m., three minutes after the call. Officials are still interviewing witnesses, and fire personnel hope that anyone with any information will step forward immediately.