TORONTO – More than 150 northwestern Ontario residents who were forced out of their homes by a rash of forest fires in the area have returned to their community.
But thousands of people remain displaced as crews continue to battle the blazes.
Officials say 153 members of the Mishkeegogamang First Nation, which is accessible by road, returned home by bus.
Deputy Minister of Community Safety Ian Davidson says members of the First Nation made the decision to return themselves, but the ministry was “reasonably satisfied” it was safe to do so.
There are still 3,438 evacuees waiting for the smoke to clear up so that they can also return home.
Officials say there have been three new fires in the last 24 hours, bringing the total of active fires to 116.
The Ministry of Natural Resources says that while the weather forecast suggests smoke won’t be an issue over the next seven to 10 days, the weather could dry up after that.
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“The weather is working in our favour but the fires are still large and burning deep, and there are full suppression efforts on the fires,” said ministry spokeswoman Carin Glassford.
“There is potential for a drying trend to come in from Western Canada that could increase fire activity and once again create smoke issues for the communities in the northwest.”
Davidson says officials are working to provide customized risk assessments to each community. Infrastructure capacity, such as hydro and water, is a major factor.
“We think we can make it happen with reasonable haste, once all of the safety issues have been addressed,” said Davidson. “But you also have to appreciate that when returning some 3,500 people by airplane to remote communities, it takes a lot of co-ordination. There are some logistical challenges that we’ll have to address.”
Almost 3,600 people have been evacuated since June 21 with many residents being moved to regional centres like London and Thunder Bay, Ont.
Three First Nations have been fully evacuated, while another six have been partially evacuated.
Premier Dalton McGuinty stopped by the community centre in Arthur, Ont., on Tuesday afternoon to meet with 204 evacuees from Sandy Lake.
McGuinty shared some bannock bread with women from Sandy Lake and played ball hockey with some of the children.
“It was a big boost for the Sandy Lake community,” said Wellington County warden Chris White.
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