BONNERS FERRY — Residents near the Upper Smith Fire have been asked to evacuate as a precautionary measure while Northern Rockies Team 1 officials work to bring the fire under control in a safe and contained manner.

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

"Leave now," Stolley said bluntly in a social media post on the department's Facebook page. "If you are in either of these zones, evacuate immediately. Law enforcement and fire personnel will be in the area to assist and notify."

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.

Firefighters are continuing to strengthen both the direct primary and indirect control lines while helicopters supported suppression efforts across the incident, Northern Rockies officials said Wednesday.

After the fire established itself Tuesday on the east-facing slope, Team 1 officials said helicopter bucket drops were used on the eastern flank to moderate fire behavior and slow its downhill progression. Crews also reported Wednesday morning that the fire had continued to back down the slope overnight toward the containment lines located near Westside Road.

On Wednesday, firefighters were expected to focus on firing operations to slowly back the fire down the remainder of the unburned east-facing slope in a controlled manner with the support of helicopter bucket drops.

"Indirect control lines are in good condition but will be continually improved in case they are needed," Northern Rockies officials said. "Firing operations, helicopter bucket drops and smoke will likely be visible from the valley."

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 July 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.

The fire's southern and eastern flanks continue to hold, with containment of the fire estimated at 15%, Trevor Unsworth, Northern Rockies Team 1 operations section chief, said in an afternoon briefing posted to the Idaho Panhandle National Forests social media accounts.

"But, in reality, we're being conservative on what we're calling contained," Unsworth said, noting that an avalanche chute on the west flank and a fire scar from the 2022 Long Canyon Fire are keeping the fire from moving.

"The fire's hung up in the avalanche chute," he said in the update. "The fire's secure, but there's no actual line on the ground, that's why we're not showing it as contained. Same thing along this Long Canyon Fire scar. This stuff hasn't moved in 10 days. 90% of it's completely out; it's not going anywhere, but there's no physical line on the ground."

Tuesday served as a "holding pattern" as crews prepared to bring the fire around a knob on the fire's eastern edge on Wednesday, Unsworth said. Crews are expected to spend several shifts working to bring the fire to a hand line on the Long Canyon hiking trail and a nearby rock face.

"We're going to hang it up on that with aircraft and potentially retardant," he said.

Crews are nearing completion of an indirect line east of the fire, running from the Canadian border on the north to Parker Creek on the south.

"Things are going super well, and we expect to have a lot of this stuff locked in and tied up before the weekend if things go as planned," Unsworth said.

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 and 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.

While he won't come to their homes and force them to leave, Stolley said he hopes residents will leave to allow crews to focus on fighting the fire.

"I'm just asking for your consideration when we hit that Go status," the sheriff said at Monday's meeting. "I'm taking all of these things into consideration and you need to obviously make the decision what you think is best for you. But if that fire comes and we're having to deal with that extra piece, you know we really ask that you take that recommendation seriously."

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.

As conditions permit, crews will begin additional firing operations to gradually move fire from the Smith Creek drainage toward prepared control features west of Westside Road. Heavy equipment, chippers and hand crews will continue improving those lines, officials said.

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 a 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 map showing the evacuation zones on the Upper Smith Fire.
  

    Crews loading cut brush into a wood chipper as firefighters continue efforts on the Upper Smith Fire in northern Boundary County.