BONNERS FERRY — Fire crews continue to make steady progress to button down the Upper Smith Fire ahead of today's predicted extreme fire weather.

The main section of the fire is "locked in and looking super good" from the southern to western flanks and onto the north flank, where it butts up against Smith Creek, Trevor Unsworth, Northern Rockies Team 1 operations section chief, said in the briefing posted to the Idaho Panhandle National Forest Facebook page.

"There's no issues there," Unsworth said. "It's just a patrol show."

As part of a firing operation — deliberately setting small fires in a controlled manner to remove fuel loads ahead of a main fire — crews have taken the fire down to a hand line at Long Canyon Creek Trail as well as near Westside Road.

Crews are working to control a spot fire on the south side of Long Canyon Creek that was discovered Friday afternoon. Unsworth also said crews are working on a dozer and a hand line near the Porker Ridge Fire scar on the fire's south side along Canyon Creek.

While crews worked until 3 to 4 a.m., Unsworth said plans called for the work to be finished Friday ahead of today's red flag warning, which indicates conditions, including winds and low humidity, are primed for dangerous wildfire behavior.

"The plan was to try to get all of that done last night, but just wasn't enough time," Unsworth said. "They had to go a little too slow in order to keep it within the containment lines."

Once the work is complete, the operations section chief said crews will have the eastern side of the fire "completely locked off." That should keep the fire from moving east toward homes, agricultural fields and other at-risk properties, Unsworth said.

The fire is open-ended in the Long Canyon Creek area, which could lead to some burning there.

"There's no good way to get up in here safely with crews or equipment for that matter, and do anything with the fire out to the south and the west," Unsworth said. "So you will see fire burning up in Long Canyon at some degree for the rest of the season until we get a season ending of that you know in September to October."

The fire has burned roughly 1,929 acres since it was reported July 8 following a lightning strike in the overnight hours between July 7 and July 8. There are 440 personnel assigned to the fire, including six helicopters, 11 hand crews, 12 engines, 14 water tenders and assorted heavy equipment.

Located roughly 20 miles northwest of Bonners Ferry in the Smith Creek drainage of the Kootenai River Valley, the fire is roughly 13% contained.

Other fires in the region include:

• Cataract Peak Fire — Located northeast of Hayden, the fire was reported July 24 and was declared "out" on July 28 after having burned one-third of an acre.

• Porcupine Fire — The 3.5-acre fire located in Bonner County's Porcupine Creek drainage was reported July 24. Early aviation support was critical as firefighters on the ground worked to access the fire in remote and challenging terrain, officials said.

A fireline has been completed around both flanks of the fire, but cliffs and other features make further handline construction unfeasible. Fire crews continue to work on possible containment options.

• Hudlow Creek Fire — Reported July 26, the fire was declared out the same day it was discovered south of Hudlow Saddle on Forest Service Road 428. It burned roughly one-tenth of an acre.

• Fernan Fire — Reported July 28, the fire was reported out July 29. It burned roughly one-quarter acre.

• Turner Fire — Located 5 miles south of Copeland, the fire is 100% contained and burned 681 acres. All evacuation levels have been lifted from the fire.

Residents near the Upper Smith Fire remain under "Go" status under the state's Ready-Set-Go evacuation protocol. Under "Ready" status, residents are advised to have a plan to evacuate if necessary; under "Set" status, residents are advised to begin putting their plan into place. Under "Go" status, residents are advised to leave immediately due to an imminent threat.

Residents were asked to evacuate Tuesday afternoon as a precautionary measure while Northern Rockies Team 1 crews work to connect to the rock band and take advantage of the terrain to create a natural control line.

Deputies are manning a roadblock set up at the intersection of Big Bend and Kerr Lake roads to protect property and homes in the evacuation zone. The Boundary County Fairgrounds has been designated as a rally point for residents, Stolley said.

Temporary flight restrictions are in effect over both fires to ensure the safety of suppression aircraft. Both personal aircraft and drones are included in the TFRs. Northern Rockies Team 1 officials said there have been several incidents of private drones flying in the TFR zone, which prevents the team's helicopters and planes from taking off.

Both Smith Creek Road and Long Canyon Trail have been closed to public travel. Closures in the Westside and Kerr Lake Road areas, as well as a closure of Riverside Street, are connected to county projects. The Parker Ridge Trail is in the process of being closed due to its access to the bridge construction and its proximity to road prep work related to the Upper Smith Fire.

Information: InciWeb.wildfire.gov