It's time to go home
Yellowknife residents are returning to their hometown.
On August 16, a general evacuation was declared in parts of the Northwest Territories. As a result, tens of thousands of residents were displaced, including 20,000 Yellowknife residents. The general evacuation order was in effect until September 6. There was a slight chance it could be extended, but still, the evacuation order was lifted Wednesday afternoon. It was done because fire crews managed to contain the blaze. Now thousands of people who have been looking forward to this moment for 3 weeks can go home.
Commercial flights resumed to the Territories' capital, and a checkpoint was removed from the highway. A sign reading "Welcome Home" was placed on the side of the highway near the Behoko indigenous community near Yellowknife to welcome evacuees returning to Yellowknife.
Still, Yellowknife has been affected by the fires. Mayor Rebecca Alty warned returnees that the town "will look a little bit different."
In a video posted on social media, Alty said fire breaks have been installed in various parts of Yellowknife to protect the city from wildfires in the near future.
The mayor also warned that city services and stores would need some time to resume full operation. Therefore, residents planning to return were warned in advance that they should be ready to provide themselves with everything for 72 hours.
And while the fire near Yellowknife continues to burn but remains under control by firefighters, wildfires near Fort Smith and Hay River are still a major threat and residents of those towns have not yet been allowed to return home.
The state of emergency across the Northwest Territories has been extended until Sept. 11. On Wednesday, the Canadian Interagency Wildfire Center reported that 235 fires were burning in the Territories. More than 1,000 wildfires were burning across Canada.
