Residents of two northwestern Ontario First Nations forced from their homes by forest fires will soon start heading back now that the blazes are dying down, provincial officials and community members said Friday.

A handful of Pikangikum First Nation evacuees will be returning home from Regina, but there is still no general repatriation order for the entire community.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry says that as of Sunday, the fire burning near Pikangikum was about 447 square kilometres.

The commander of Pikangikum's emergency operations centre said on Friday that around 2,000 of the First Nation's approximately 4,000 residents have been moved to Regina and other host communities in Ontario.

The Ministry of Natural Resources said the fire – dubbed Red Lake Fire 39 – has now grown to more than 507 square kilometres in size, which is larger than Quebec City.

The evacuation of Pikangikum First Nation is now expected to resume on Thursday, as crews battled a fire burning about six kilometres to the southwest.

A full evacuation of Pikangikum First Nation began yesterday, with community members leaving on flights, as well as via boat and bus routes.

The decision on a full evacuation came a day after Pikangikum declared an emergency due to smoke from the nearby blaze.

More than 2,000 members of the community were forced from their homes in late May and early June, with many only returning a few weeks ago.

The chief of Pikangikum First Nation says the teen girl was one of more than 2,000 community members forced from their homes by a nearby forest fire.