Border Fire Spreads Across Idaho Forest As Retardant Drops Cover Burning Slope

Aerial footage shows the Border Fire burning across a steep timbered slope, with gray smoke rising from green forest and blackened ground.

A wide band of bright pink-red retardant covers trees and open ground. Dirt roads cut through the timber, with white trucks visible on one road.

Burned patches stand beside unburned green forest as the camera pans along the ridge and smoke drifts across the valley.

The Border Fire started August 25, 2026, after lightning struck on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests about 20 miles northwest of Bonners Ferry.

The fire was managed alongside the nearby Upper Smith and Parker Lake fires. On August 29, crews and aircraft worked the fire with retardant drops and direct line.

By August 30, the fire was mapped at 43 acres and remained 0 percent contained. Rain later held the fire within its footprint.