BONNERS FERRY — All of the hard work is beginning to pay off as fire crews increased containment on the Upper Smith and Turner fires to 15% and 100%, respectively, according to Northern Rockies officials.

Located 6 miles west of Porthill and 20 miles northwest of Bonners Ferry, the Upper Smith Fire remained relatively unchanged, only growing by roughly 30 acres in the past 24 hours.

Northern Rockies officials credited fire crews' efforts and determination for the success in bringing containment from 0% to 15%, with most of that success seen on the fire's southwestern corner.

"It's taken us roughly 10 days to get this little portion completed and checked in and held," Andy James, operations section chief for Northern Rockies Team 1, said. "And that really speaks to the challenges that we are seeing with the terrain, with the fuels and with the weather. But once again, a lot of good work that's been done here on this piece."

The fire is expected to keep backing toward Smith Creek and advancing east toward homes and agricultural fields at risk in the Smith Creek and Westside Road corridors. Proving key to preventing the fire from crossing Smith Creek have been firing efforts by both hand crews and aerial assets, including drones, officials said.

Hand crews, falling units and chippers are working to prep a road along the division break up to Boundary Creek. The goal is to stair-step up the terrain and use a handline from the corner of Smith Ridge that goes across Smith Creek to connect with a handline that connects with USFS Road 2258.

Smith Creek remains a concern as the fire moves downhill, and strategic firing will continue as conditions allow to prevent the fire from crossing the creek, officials said. Crews are constructing indirect lines along the north slope toward Parker Creek, with heavy equipment progressing toward the far northern area.

Eastern indirect lines are in place and ready to hold as the fire is expected to progress in that direction. Direct and indirect full suppression tactics continue to be implemented with the focus on protecting critical values at risk and minimizing firefighter risk exposure.

Northern Rockies crews are conducting a series of aerial firing operations to even out the "fingers" of the fire, allowing crews to bring it down to Smith Creek on the team's terms, James said. In the meantime, crews are patrolling the creek to keep an eye on the fire for potential spotting.

"This is a tactic that we employ quite a bit, where instead of waiting for the fire to make runs, to make pulses, we can have one complete, nice and even flame front that we can bring down on our terms at a specific time in the day, and then be able to pass that off to the resources that are on the ground," James said.

James estimated it will take the team two or three shifts to complete the firing operation.

"We want to be patient," he said. "We want to make sure that all the conditions are right."

A structure protection unit continues to assess nearby structures and complete mitigation work around them as well as keep pumps and sprinkler systems operational, James said.

The fire has burned 1,061 acres since it was sparked by lightning July 8. There are 456 personnel assigned to the fire, with three helicopters, 13 hand crews and assorted heavy equipment including a dozer, engines, water tenders and excavators.

The Turner Fire was reported 100% contained by the end of shift Friday, allowing it to be transitioned back to local control by the Wildland Fire Service and the Idaho Department of Lands, James said in a video update on the two Boundary County fires.

"Happy to report, the Turner Fire is not on the map, and that means a lot of good work has transpired," James said.

The fire burned 681 acres and forced the evacuation of roughly 100 homes and placed another 150 homes on alert for potential evacuation for several days after it was first reported about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 15.

The cause of the fire is unknown and it remains under investigation.

Northern Rockies crews spent the past few days continuing to secure and strengthen control lines, extinguishing remaining hot spots during mop-up. Crews spent Friday reinforcing and patrolling those lines as they move toward full containment.

While resources assigned to the Turner Fire are being reassigned to support efforts on the Upper Smith Fire, they remain available for new wildfire starts in the area.

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.

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.

While both the Copeland and Porthill boat launches are open, residents are advised to be on the watch for aerial resources that may need to access the Kootenai River for water drops if water is needed to cool the fire.

Information: inciweb.wildfire.gov