City and territorial officials are urging extreme caution with fire this weekend as the Yukon continues to cook under a prolonged hot, dry spell.

Meanwhile, Highway 37, a key access road to the territory from the south, remains closed from the Yukon-B.C. border for 82 kilometres south to the Beaverdam rest area due to fire.

Fire information officer Lindsay Carnes of the Smithers forest fire centre said this morning the wildfire burning 17 kilometres south of the border is continuing to grow.

The 3,000-hectare blaze is being pushed by a south wind right along the highway, Carnes said, noting the fire has burned a stretch along the Stewart-Cassiar of approximately 3.5 kilometres.

She said the hot and dry conditions are expected to prevail for the next few days, as they are in the Yukon.

A crew of 20 firefighters was scheduled today to conduct controlled burns along the highway corridor to reduce the volatile fuel source of black spruce, Carnes said.

Meanwhile, as the southern Yukon continues to bask in above-average temperatures, the City of Whitehorse issued a ban this morning on all fires, including backyard fires and campfires.

Yukon Wildland Fire Management also sent out a notice asking the public to be extremely cautious with outdoor fires.

It also emphasized burning permits are automatically suspended in areas where the fire danger rating is moderate or higher.

The danger rating has climbed to extreme in Whitehorse, Haines Junction and Ross River. It is high in Watson Lake, moderate in Teslin and low across the rest of the territory.

"With little precipitation and warm temperatures in the forecast, we expect the fire danger rating to continue to rise,” fire management officer Lorne Harris said in this morning's notice.

Kluane National Park issued a fire ban Thursday for the entire park and reserve.

One new lightning fire was reported Thursday in the wilderness zone 155 kilometres east of Watson Lake. It is being monitored and was estimated at 20 hectares in size.

There are 32 actives fires in the Yukon, but all are burning in the remote wilderness zones and none are being fought.