FOX 21 News, KQDS-DT

ELY - On Friday, about 200 fire fighters continued to fight a fire that stopped just a few hundred yards from the heart of Ely Thursday.

The 216 acre blaze ignited from a fallen tree on a power line and spread with prime conditions.

On Friday, those conditions did not fluctuate much and fire fighters remained hard at work.

Gallons of water gushed out by the thousands, and crews continued to do all they can to fight a fire that spread to acreage in the hundreds.

"We got a lot of new resources in this morning, a few that had been here last night, so we kind of got an assessment of the situation," Cory Berg, Division Supervisor Trainee for the south side of the fire, said.

Dark patches were still smoldering: a sign the fire was still alive.

"Today, we start into the really hard work which is maintaining all of the perimeter which was created around the fire," Fire Information Officer Daria Day said.

On Highway 1, crews continued to try and secure the south end of the perimeter.

On Friday, officials said the area had a high "probably of ignition" because temperatures climbed into the 80's, meaning there was approximately an 80 percent chance that if an ember escaped the perimeter, it could re–ignite.

"It's dry and it's warm today so that's a big concern," Berg said.

The high temperatures and low humidity, stacked up with strong winds, made it prime fire weather.

Watchful eyes from above and workers on the ground continued at a rapid pace to make sure flames did not get any closer to the city.

"It's always kind of our worse–case scenario to have fires close to communities," Berg said. "Especially when you have a community the size of Ely."

"We see a lot of challenges," Day said. "We have a community that, just like anyone, feels severely threatened at the chance of losing their home so when we add that human element it adds to the complexity of fighting fire."

Crews hope to remove any hazards and call the blaze contained; finally easing the minds of a community with smoke on their front doorstep.

Although fire officials said they have the upper–hand on the blaze, they are still not calling it "contained" Friday.

Through Friday evening, families from six homes off of Highway 1 were still evacuated.

Officials said only three outbuildings, such as sheds,  were damaged by the fire.