Favorable weather Monday was expected to help fire crews gain ground on the Deer Creek Fire northeast of Happy's Inn.

Updated mapping put the size of the blaze at 963 acres. Roughly 170 firefighters were working to contain the blaze along the Pleasant Valley Fisher River just off Acm Road in Lincoln County. A Type 3 incident management team took command of the fire Sunday as numerous aerial resources were used over the weekend to drop water and retardant.

The blaze was first reported Aug. 20 and started in an active timber sale. The cause of the fire remained undetermined as of Monday.

Crews continued to expand a fire line on the southern edge after establishing an initial line from an anchor point on the north flank near the river. Firefighters planned to finish laying hose on the east edge Monday.

No evacuation warnings were in place, but people were advised to avoid the area to allow firefighter access. About 90 structures were considered threatened by the blaze.

The fire was expected to send smoke into the Flathead Valley and Glacier National Park in the coming days.

WITH 82% containment of the 3,384-acre Skillet Fire west of Olney, fire crews and equipment from that incident were called out over the weekend to assist with a few smaller fires that cropped up in the vicinity.

A Type 1 helicopter worked on the 11-acre Adams Fire, cooling hot spots and supporting crews on the ground, while a Type 3 helicopter was used on the Trixie Fire, which grew to about an acre. Resources from the Skillet Fire were expected to keep those smaller fires in check Monday.

Activity on the Skillet Fire was minimal, and crews continued mop-up operations and reinforcing fire lines.

Total cost to fight the fire tipped $20 million on Sunday.

SOUTHEAST OF Thompson Falls, the Cherry Peak Fire was 44% contained at 200 acres. About 115 firefighters remained on the scene, including two hotshot crews and two Type 2 initial attack crews.

Crews on Sunday finished a hose lay from a sub-drainage of Cherry Creek and planned to use the water to support mop-up operations.

The fire was sparked by lightning Aug. 18 on the Plains-Thompson Falls Ranger District. One structure was considered threatened.

    An air tanker drops retardant behind a ridgeline at the Deer Creek Fire near Happy's Inn on Saturday, Aug. 22. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    A Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter makes a water drop over the Deer Creek Fire near Happy's Inn on Saturday, Aug. 22. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    An air tanker flies over the Deer Creek Fire near Happy's Inn on Saturday, Aug. 22. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    A Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter refills with water while fighting the Deer Creek Fire near Happy's Inn on Saturday, Aug. 22. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider