BONNERS FERRY — Crews continue to do well in their fight against the Upper Smith Fire despite a brief excursion by the fire across containment lines early Wednesday morning, Northern Rockies Team 1 officials said Wednesday afternoon.

A "finger" of the fire on Upper Smith backed down off the knob on the eastern flank and made it across the team's primary control line early Wednesday morning.

"We got folks on it right away and they got that all caught and secured," Trevor Unsworth, Northern Rockies Team 1 operations section chief, said in the briefing posted to the Idaho Panhandle National Forest Facebook page.

Crews have burned about 75% of the area needed to tie the fire's eastern flank into a rocky outcropping that is expected to serve as a natural control line, Unsworth said. On Thursday, firefighters will focus on securing and mopping up the area.

"Everything is going super well," Unsworth said.

Through firing operations — deliberately setting small fires in a controlled manner to remove fuel loads ahead of a main fire — crews are working to bring the fire around to the rock band in the ridge system.

"Outside of the fire itself, the indirect line still all in play," he said. "If things do not go as planned, we'll do a little bit of chipping and some masticating up to the north."

The fire has burned roughly 1,648 acres since it was reported July 8 following a lightning strike in the overnight hours between July 7 and 8. There are 406 personnel assigned to the fire, including six helicopters, seven hand crews, 12 engines, 12 water tenders and assorted heavy equipment.

The fire remains 15% contained.

Northern Rockies officials said crews continue to strengthen both direct primary and indirect control lines, with helicopters supporting suppression efforts with bucket drops across the breadth of the fire.

"The fire established itself (Tuesday) on the east-facing slope," Northern Rockies officials said. "Helicopter bucket drops were used on the east flank to moderate fire behavior and slow its downhill progression."

The fire continues to back down the slope toward the containment lines located near Westside Road. However, on the southern flank, the fire remains locked into Long Canyon near the 2022 fire scar. The fire has made its way down to Smith Creek, "most of the way toward the mouth of the canyon."

"That stuff's holding super well," Unsworth said. "We're keeping an eye on it, and using a little bit of helicopter bucket work where needed."

Firefighters continue structure protection efforts, extending work beyond primary residences to include outbuildings and other values at risk.

While indirect control lines are in good condition, Northern Rockies officials said crews will continue to improve the lines in the event they are needed.

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

Boundary County Sheriff Travis Stolley told residents in a Tuesday evening Facebook post that the fire had reached the point where evacuation was necessary.

Two zones connected to the fire — the Westside and Smith Creek zones — were advised at 4:40 p.m. Tuesday that evacuation protocols had been moved to "Go."

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.

The evacuation notice follows a Monday community meeting at Mount Hall Elementary in which Stolley and Northern Rockies Team 1 officials warned that evacuations were a matter of when, not if. Telling residents he was being "brutally honest," Stolley said that "Go" status could come within a day, two days or three. It ended up being just under one day.

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.

A fire weather watch is in effect in the county through 11 p.m. Saturday. Forecasters say the region could see strong winds and low humidity — conditions that could lead to rapid fire spread of new and existing fires.

At Monday's meeting, Northern Rockies Team 1 operations section chief Scott Schrenk told the 30 or so residents who attended that fire crews are working to get the fire down to the bottom near Smith Creek and hold it for a few days to ensure there are no spot fires. Crews will then work back to the anchor point near a rock outcropping as a direct "Option A," Schrenk said.

If that plan doesn't work, crews are working on a fallback option where firefighters tuck into Long Canyon. Another option would be to utilize the Long Canyon Fire burn scar to keep the fire away from the valleys and other at-risk areas.

Schrenk estimated the work could take crews two or three days.

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.

Anyone caught flying a drone or private aircraft can face up to $100,000 in fines and up to a year in federal prison.

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.

While both the Copeland and Porthill boat launches are open, residents are advised to 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

    A view of the Upper Smith Fire on Tuesday, July 28.