BAYVIEW — Crews made steady progress in both the Bernard and Callahan fires overnight, thanks to cooler temperatures and a bit of rain.

The Bernard Fire, located overlooking Echo Bay on the south shore of Lake Pend Oreille, is now at 75% contained and is at 1,375 acres. The Callahan Fire, located about nine miles west of Troy near the Idaho/Montana border, is 60% contained with the fire estimated at 1,276 acres in size.

In a Thursday press release, U.S. Forest Service officials said the Bernard Fire has been checked along its perimeter and crews are completing fuel breaks and fuels removal. All air operations are complete and aircraft released from the fire as are most of the other resources, officials said.

Remaining crews are monitoring control lines, beginning line repair where needed, and removing hose lays and other suppression equipment that is no longer needed.

Wednesday night rains helped firefighting efforts, with about one-quarter of an inch of rain received over the fire area in the last 24 hours, with another quarter to three-quarters on the way, USFS officials said.

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group defines wetting rain as a widespread rain that, over an extended period of time, significantly reduces fire danger. "One-tenth of an inch may be sufficient to reduce fire danger in grass or other fine fuel models," officials said in the press release. "One half inch may be necessary for timber fuels under closed canopies."

Protection for private property, structures, and infrastructure at Gold Creek Lodge and the Lakeview community is being implemented in the area of the Bernard Fire. In addition, plans for protection of water quality in West Gold Creek and sensitive tribal areas are in development.

There have been no evacuations associated with this fire and no structures have been destroyed.

Burning in the South Callahan Creek area, south of Smith Mountain, the Callahan Fire is expected to be continued in late October. Burning in steep, rocky ground in an early 1990s burn, the fire is expanding into areas of continuous live and dead fuel, some of which has not had disturbed for 70 years.