Rain at the emergency operations centre in Pelican Narrows. Photo courtesy Facebook.
Now that the final evacuation order has lifted, the remaining residents of Pelican Narrows are preparing to return to their homes today.
The order for health priority evacuees has been lifted in large part due to the rainy weather Pelican Narrows has been experiencing.
“In the Pelican Narrows area, they have received over 40 mm of rain in the last 48 hours,” said Executive Director of Wildfire Management, Steve Roberts. “And that behaviour helped significantly to reduce fire activity in the area allowing our crews to ensure that things are safe in the area.”
Emergency Social Services is currently working to load people onto buses and issuing gas money allotments to get people home.
“Three evacuees in Saskatoon and about 170 evacuees in Prince Albert should be returning home today,” explained Provincial Coordinator for Emergency Social Services, Deanna Valentine.
Although Pelican Narrows is now considered safe, the government is still taking measures to ensure that people’s respiratory needs are met.
“We’ve been working closely with local leaders to make sure there is a respite area,” said Commissioner of Emergency Management and Fire Safety, Duane McKay. “We are currently using the school gym and have installed air filter systems to ensure a clean airspace for those that may be irritated by the smoke.”
Despite fire bans being lifted province-wide and the lifting of the evacuation order, firefighters continue to battle blazes in northern Saskatchewan.