The Alaska Highway was reopened at 11:50 this morning as the Smith River, B.C. forest fire is continuing its track away from the highway.

And the evacuation order has also been lifted for the 109 or so northern B.C. residents of Fireside, Coal River and the Muddy River Indian Reserve, though they remain on alert, as the fire is still growing but moving away from the highway communities.

Authorities closed the highway shortly after noon Thursday, because of the threat from the Smith River fire.

Southbound traffic was stopped and turned around at the weigh scales in Watson Lake.

"It reopened just a few minutes ago," Watson Lake RCMP Sgt. Paul Thalhofer said in a telephone interview shortly before noon today.

The Smith River fire kicked up earlier this week and was about 2,000 hectares in size until it made a 20-kilometre run Wednesday, growing to 10,000 hectares.

It was estimated today at 16,500, Jill Chimko, spokeswoman for the Prince George fire centre, said this morning.

She said the fire is continuing on a northwest path, away from the communities located just south of the Yukon-B.C. border.

"The forecast winds for the future should keep it going in that direction," she said. "And we do not foresee a switch at any point."

Approximately 100 firefighting personnel are staffing the Smith River fire, while air support is making use of the Watson Lake tanker base.

There have been no new fires reported in the Yukon, and no new arrivals of additional firefighting support from Outside.

But wildfire officials are again cautioning the public about campfire use, and the need to ensure campfires are well supervised and properly extinguished.

George Maratos, a spokesman for Wildland Fire Management, said today the Carmacks district office was notified this morning of an unattended campfire still burning at the local camp site.

It was likely one improperly extinguished, rather than a case of someone simply walking away in disregard of the potential threat, Maratos explained.

A specially trained firefighting unit from Alberta arrived here earlier this week and was dispatched to Carmacks to remain on standby while the fire danger in that district remains extreme.

Maratos said the campfire was extinguished without any issues, though the situation does underscore the potential threat of campfires left unattended.

Fire management, he said, is asking the public to refrain from campfires if they're not necessary.

Management officials were meeting this morning to decide whether to implement an outright ban. All burning permits have already been cancelled.

Whitehorse fire chief Clive Sparks issued an order this morning banning all open-pit fires, including backyard cooking fires, though propane and charcoal barbecues are still permitted.

Fire officials were also discussing this morning whether to call for more resources from outside the Yukon.

"There is that sense that it is going to be a busy weekend, with the lightning forecast and the dry conditions," said Yukon fire officials.

Already here are 21 additional firefighters and one supervisory official from B.C., and eight helicopter attack firefighters and three supervisors from Alberta.

Action is continuing on the Mayo 2 fire, burning between Mayo and Moose Creek. The fire is estimated at 233 hectares.

The Dawson 1 fire grew by 90 hectares yesterday to 15,634 hectares, though no action is being taken as it is burning in the wilderness zone.

The fire danger rating remains extreme across the territory except in the Beaver Creek and Teslin districts where the rating is high, and in Watson Lake where conditions are moderate.