Upper Smith Fire Grows to 1,061 Acres, Containment Increases to 15% Near Bonners Ferry

Upper Smith Fire grows to 1,061 acres, containment increases to 15% near Bonners Ferry

UPDATE: July 24, 2026 at 10:20 a.m.

Crews continue to fight fires in Bonners Ferry area  » Sandpoint Reader

By Zach HagadoneReader Staff Two blazes burning in Boundary County are filling local skies with smoke in what has so far been a relatively mild fire season, with the Turner Fire and Upper Smith Fire at 79% and 0% containment, respectively, as of press time. The cause of the Turner Fire, burning on 681 acres about five miles south of Copeland, remains undetermined, while the Upper Smith Fire, covering 970 acres 20 miles northwest of Bonners Ferry…