BONNERS FERRY — Fire crews are in full suppression mode as efforts continue on the Upper Smith Fire in northern Boundary County.

"We had a run yesterday where it just rolled down and then it burned back up on itself," USFS Type 3 Northern Idaho Team incident commander Mitchell Prophet said in an operations briefing posted to the Idaho Panhandle National Forests' social media accounts. "It's making a hard push to the ridge."

To counter the fire, Prophet said fire crews are working to "put a little fire down the ridge" to create a fire line between the Upper Smith Fire and private lands nearby.

"Just in case it makes that run up the ridge, we have something to slow it down and/or stop it," the incident commander said.

Burning in steep, rugged terrain, the Upper Smith Fire has burned roughly 567 acres, according to USFS officials on InciWeb, an interagency incident information management site.

Reported July 8, the fire was sparked by a lightning strike in the overnight hours between Tuesday, July 7, and early Wednesday, July 8. As of Wednesday morning, there is 0% containment.

The fire, which is burning on a north-facing slope, is in an area of large logs and dead and down timber under a dense canopy, U.S. Forest Service officials said. A total of 40 firefighters have been assigned to the wildfire, including Hotshot crew, two hand crews, multiple engines and heavy machinery, and aviation support. 

The fire is located about 6 miles west of Porthill and about 20 miles northwest of Bonners Ferry.

Sprinkler lines and pumps have been placed around 10 critical structures, with systems being tested on a daily basis, Prophet said.

Crews are working to build a handline to the ridgetop and a nearby trail to create a "holding feature" on the fire's west side, Prophet said.

"Right now we are in full suppression," he said in the briefing. "We're looking at opportunities to go direct where we can."

Aerial support was heavy Wednesday with both scooper planes and helicopters targeting the fire's east side to "try and check it up before it drops down any lower into the private (lands)," Prophet said.

A complex incident management team has been ordered and is expected to take command of the fire Friday morning, officials said. A CIMT brings additional organizational capabilities to support the next stages of suppression. In addition, more resources were expected to arrive Wednesday morning.

USFS officials said firefighters will begin constructing both indirect and direct lines on the southwest corner of the fire. The lines will go from USFS Road 635 down the avalanche chute along the west flank toward USFS Road 2443. 

At the same time, an excavator will work to create a line from the end of USFS Road 635 east toward the ridge and heavy equipment will improve road access in the area. On the east side of the fire, crews will continue construction of handline on the north side of USFS Road 281 near the mouth of the drainage. 

A weather inversion over the area moderated fire behavior, and firefighters prepared secondary indirect lines to aid in fighting the fire.

Aviation assets continue to play a key role in fighting the Upper Smith Fire as they have since the fire was discovered on July 8, 2026. Retardant planes were dispatched on the first day, and “Super Scoopers” or “Fire Boss” planes and helicopters have delivered thousands of gallons of water on the fire every day since, officials said.

"Single engine scooper planes can fill their tanks with 800 gallons of water and multi-engine scoopers hold up to 1,600 gallons, USFS officials said in a social media post. "They fill by skimming over the surface of a lake.  For the Upper Smith Fire, they have obtained their water from Priest Lake."

Heavy helicopters, which are also being used to fight the fire, can deliver 2,600 gallons of water from buckets on a long line.  

"Water from aerial resources is most effective when there are firefighters on the ground to work that water into the burning duff with hand tools," officials said. "Even so, the water drops have cooled the edges and checked the progress of the Upper Smith Fire as it burns on an extremely steep slope above Smith Creek."

Info.: shorturl.at/viAB9

    A map showing the location of the Upper Smith Fire as well as where fire retardant has been dropped. Also noted on the map are the locations of nearby road and trail closures.