BONNERS FERRY — A wildfire has burned more than 414 acres in northern Boundary County following a lightning strike in the overnight hours on Wednesday, July 7.

The fire, located about 3 1/2 miles up the Smith Creek drainage off the Kootenai River Valley, is about 6 miles west of Porthill in northern Boundary County and about 20 miles northwest of Bonners Ferry.

Forest Service officials said the Upper Smith Fire is burning on a north-facing slope in an area of large logs and dead and down timber under a dense canopy. Favorable weather Friday allowed crews to press an aggressive air attack, with helicopters dropping water and large air tankers dropping retardant as part of an effort to slow the fire's spread.

The aerial effort paved the way for ground crews, including the newly inserted Idaho Panhandle Interagency Hotshot crew and an additional hand crew, to engage the fire and make direct progress. A Type 3 incident management team, typically deployed to major or complex fire incidents, assumed control of the fire Saturday morning.

Division personnel were deployed to the fireline Saturday morning to conduct critical assessments of at-risk structures and other assets. The aim is to both identify structure-protection plans and improve access routes for ground crews.

Supported by heavy equipment and aviation assets, USFS officials said ground crews are working to construct containment lines. However, those efforts are dependent on weather and smoke conditions.

Sunny, warm and dry conditions are expected to last through the weekend, with elevated fire weather expected for late Saturday and early Sunday.

While there are no official road or trail closures in place for the Upper Smith Fire, there are unrelated county road closures for bridge work in the area of Westside and Kerr Lake roads, as well as a closure of Riverside Street.

"The public is strongly encouraged to avoid the Smith Creek drainage to allow firefighting equipment and personnel to travel and operate safely," Forest Service officials said.

Roughly 73 personnel have been assigned to the fire, including the Hotshot crew, two 20-person Type 2 hand crews, heavy equipment and aviation support.

Temporary flight restrictions are in effect over the Upper Smith Fire to ensure the safety of suppression aircraft.

"Remember that temporary flight restrictions also apply to unmanned aircraft systems [drones], so if you fly, we can’t," USFS officials said in the release.

Info.: inciweb.wildfire.gov