Wildfire near Fort Smith, N.W.T., now 'being held,' not expected to spread further

Parks Canada has declared the massive wildfire burning near Fort Smith, N.W.T., as less of a threat after days without seeing it spread much.

It's been more than a week since people have been able to return to the community after five weeks of being displaced due to the wildfire.

On Wednesday, the parks service said the fire is now classified as "being held." That's a step shy of "under control" and means the wildfire isn't likely to spread beyond existing boundaries under expected weather conditions.

It's "some awesome news," according to Alyssa Etsell, a fire information officer with Parks Canada.

"It's a really celebratory day today," she said — and a goal hundreds of firefighters have been working toward for nearly seven weeks.

"It's a really momentous occasion."

The parks service credited the efforts of firefighters, as well as cooler temperatures.

Fort Smith remains on evacuation alert, meaning people should be ready to leave on short notice if need be.

The wildfire — a complex of several fires that merged into one — has burned over half a million hectares of land so far, or about 5,000 square kilometres in total. The line of fire that crews have been trying to get under control stretched nearly 160 kilometres, from above the Thebacha area to south of Fort Fitzgerald, Alta.

"It's an immense amount of work, for sure, so it's a pretty big success that it's being held now," Etsell said.

There are still 183 people responding to this fire. At times over the past weeks, they numbered up to 400 each day, Etsell said.

Crews are still working along Hay Camp Road near Fort Fitzgerald to contain parts of the fire, with that road remaining closed. Near Thebacha, structure protection has now been dismantled as the fire's perimeter there has been contained.

Pine Lake Road could still close for lengthy periods of time without notice as crews keep working in that area.