One of the wildfires that prompted hundreds of people from their homes was brought under control, and the evacuees can start returning home.
The Canadian Red Cross said Tuesday morning the roughly 850 residents of Poplar River First Nation would be returning home this week.
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“Right now we anticipate about 100 people returning today and then over the next two or three days about 200, 250 people per day returning home,” Shawn Feely, VP of Manitoba and Nunavut for the Red Cross said Tuesday. “The first plane load were individuals there to help get the school up and running and other facilities in the community ready for the returning evacuees.”
Eden Amos is an evacuee from Poplar River First Nation. She said she’s ready to be back in familiar territory.
“It was…a bit suffocating being stuck in a hotel room all day,” Amos said.
Feely said the Red Cross is working closely with community leadership on organizing planes and buses to transport the residents home.
“Close to three weeks for the first 250, 300 people and then about a week and a half or so after that the rest of the community did come out except for a team of people who were helping to fight the fires and protect the community.”
No damage was reported in the community.
For Lucien Everette, he said he’s ready to get back to his home and leave the big city behind.
“To me it’s kind of been chaotic because I’ve never really been a city person. I’ve basically been raised in the bush my whole life,” Everette said.
The 850 evacuees were stationed in hotels around Winnipeg and said they’re happy to be heading back home and get back to work and school.
RELATED: 1,500 more evacuated as Manitoban wildfire rages on
The forest fire raging near Wasagamack First Nation is still out of control, according to the province. Around 4,000 residents have been moved to safety from Wasagamack, St. Theresa Point and Garden Hill First Nations.
WATCH: Ongoing coverage of Manitoba wildfires