Hundreds to return home after Saskatchewan wildfire evacuation orders lifted
Hundreds of wildfire evacuees in Saskatchewan are to return home as heavy smoke in the northern region appears to have subsided.
Community leaders say they have lifted most evacuation orders for Buffalo Narrows, Buffalo River Dene Nation and Ile-a-la-Crosse.
Air quality statements in those communities are rated as low risk as of Thursday afternoon.
Buffalo Narrows Mayor Sandy Ericson says most of the roughly 600 people who fled the area are expected to return home.
She says people with health issues or young children can still stay back in case they need supports.
Buffalo River Dene Nation Chief Norma Catarat says 411 people returned home as of Wednesday evening and more are expected to make their way back.
Catarat said 200 members are to remain in Lloydminster, where they are receiving supports.
She said those required to stay back either have health issues, are elders or have children under five years old.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency is not expected to provide an update on Thursday.
The agency's website says that as of Thursday afternoon, crews were battling 24 fires. Six of them are contained and three require crews to protect property.
Officials have said some rain and cooler temperatures have helped firefighters battle the flames.
The agency lifted a provincial fire ban on Wednesday, though northern communities continue to have local bans and restrictions in place.
The agency has been supporting hundreds of people from the region over the past week in Lloydminster, North Battleford and Regina.
Ericson said people in her community are feeling relieved to be able to return home.
"People are very happy," she said. "It has been a long wait to come here and the air quality has improved significantly."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.