Firefighters working on the Aspen Acres fire achieved 48% containment during the day Thursday — a big step up as residents in the Rye area wait to return home.

The sprawling fire that is more than 99,800 acres had been 36% contained since Wednesday. The Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team did not report any acreage growth on Friday morning.

Containment is a measure of the fire’s perimeter that is no longer growing.

The new containment was achieved mostly on the north side of the fire following weeks of work, the Northern Rockies team announced. The team now has about 1,700 members, down a bit in recent days.

During a Friday morning briefing, Ben Wagner, operations section chief, highlighted the main priority is northwest of Rye where the fire is still active and lots of good work is going on to protect homes.

“Everyone out there understands the importance that this piece of ground has to protecting the community of Rye,” he said.

North of Rye, in an area nicknamed the chicken foot because it sticks out, Aspen Acres has been starting smaller fires ahead of itself, but those are igniting away from the community, he said.

“If you are seeing increased activity that’s probably what you are seeing,” Wagner explained.

Helicopters have been suppressing the fire in that area for several days, said Nikia Hernandez, branch director during a Thursday update.

Around San Isabel Lake, crews are putting out hotspots to help protect structures, Wagner said.

While further north, along the western edge of the fire, crew are preparing a fire control line and making “really, really good progress,” Wagner said.

A community meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at the Raymond Aguirre Community Center, 28 County Road 632 in Gardner. The meeting will also be livestreamed on Facebook.