All residents of the Waterhen Lake First Nation have now returned home.

A general evacuation order had been issued last month due to a fire burning in the Meadow Lake Provincial Park.

Most residents returned a few days later but some remained in Saskatoon due to smoke concerns.

Saskatchewan Wildfire Management official Dennis Trueman says the Tuff Fire has now been contained.

“Currently we still have some crews, some walk drops, heavy equipment which are supported by helicopters and continue to work the fire,” he says. “It’s still listed as active but control lines have continued to hold.”

The fire still sits at about 6,500 hectares but has not grown in the past week.

There are currently five fires burning on provincial lands – three of which are listed as contained and two that are under ongoing assessment.

This is a far cry from the 148 fires that were burning in the province a few weeks ago.

Trueman says lower winds, higher moisture, cooler temperatures and rain have all helped to lessen the threat of wildfires.

“With the moisture that we’ve received and the work of the firefighters they’ve made good progress and the hazards are somewhat lower with the all precip (itation) we’ve been receiving.”

The Rally Fire northwest of Prince Albert, the Langley Fire south of Buffalo Narrows and Clarke and Povol fires northeast of La Ronge are still listed as active.

There is also the 36,000 hectare Rabbit Creek Fire burning in the Prince Albert National Park.

Park officials say this fire is “being held.”

(Photo: Courtesy of Waterhen Lake First Nation Events/Announcements Facebook page)