BONNERS FERRY — Two spot fires were found near the eastern flank of the Upper Smith Fire on Thursday morning, one of which was quickly extinguished.

Discovered near the hydro plant, the first fire was taken care of before it grew beyond a quarter crew. Crews expected to have a line around the second fire, estimated at 7 acres, by 5 p.m. Thursday, Trevor Unsworth, Northern Rockies Team 1 operations section chief, said in the briefing posted to the Idaho Panhandle National Forest Facebook page.

"We got some downslope winds late into the night and some stuff got across the line," Unsworth said.

Once crews complete a line around the second spot fire, Unsworth said plans called for a helicopter to finish a planned burn. Firing operations are small, controlled fires aimed at removing fuel loads ahead of a main fire.

Crews are working to tie the area near the fire's eastern flank into a rocky outcropping that is expected to serve as a natural control line, Unsworth said.

The fire has burned roughly 1,767 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, 10 hand crews, 12 engines, 13 water tenders and assorted heavy equipment.

The fire is now listed as 13% contained due to an expansion of the fire perimeter, Northern Rockies incident commander Brent Olson said in a fire update on InciWeb, an interagency incident information management site. However, Olson noted that no containment was lost.

The Upper Smith Fire remains locked into the 2022 Long Canyon Fire scar on its southern flank as well as an old avalanche chute on the western edge. The fire has made it all the way down to Smith Creek, where it is being checked by crews.

"A lot of it is just burning itself out down there by the creek," Unsworth said. "That's all looking super good."

Northern Rockies crews had hoped to hold the fire using a rock band outcropping in the Smith Ridge area with the aid of fire retardant.

"The probability of success on both of those features was fairly low as spoke about," the operations section chief said of those efforts in the fire's northeastern area.

There is a small amount of fire rolling off the top of the ridge, with some areas of the rock band holding the fire and, in other areas, the fire spilling over.

The plan now is to bring the fire along a containment line down to Westside Road and tie it into hand lines, sprinkler lines and the road to the mouth of Long Canyon Creek.

If everything goes as planned, Unsworth said fire crews would have everything burned down into the drainage up to a dozer line and tied to the Parker Ridge Fire scar.

Unsworth said crews are working to "button up" some of the lines and firing operations before expected winds hit the region Saturday. 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.

Residents near the Upper Smith Fire remain under "Go" status under the state's Ready-Set-Go evacuation protocol. 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.

Residents 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.

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.

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