Buses and vehicles loaded with evacuees made their way back to northern Saskatchewan communities on Thursday as evacuation orders over wildfires lifted in several areas.
The biggest evacuation order in the province was lifted at 8 a.m. on Thursday, as the barriers into the tri-community of La Ronge, Air Ronge and Lac La Ronge were removed and residents were welcomed home. The region is home to approximately 7,000 people.
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Residents are being warned that the landscape is significantly different from when they left, with charred and blackened forest as far as the eye can see in some areas.
Evacuation orders were also lifted in several other communities in the north on Thursday:
- Hall Lake
- Brabant Lake
- Nemeiben Lake
- Sucker River
- Wadin Bay
- English Bay
- Sikachu
- Clam Crossing
- Napatak
- Eagle Point
- Lap Lake
- Rabbit Creek
- Potato Lake
- Stanley Mission
- Little Bear Lake
- Timber Bay
Other areas such as Creighton, on the Manitoba border, and Denare Beach are still on mandatory evacuation orders.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency said Wednesday that there is still work to do on the largest fires in the north, but no significant fire activity or “runs” towards communities were expected any time soon.
As of Thursday afternoon the SPSA reported 22 active wildfires in Saskatchewan. Six were deemed uncontained, while another two are classified as “protecting values,” meaning firefighters are focused on protecting properties and assets from the flames.
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