Wildfire evacuees will be allowed to return to Fort Nelson, B.C., Monday: officials
CTV
Thousands of people who were forced to flee their homes due to a wildfire burning out of control near Fort Nelson, B.C., will be allowed to return Monday, according to officials.
Thousands of people who were forced to flee their homes due to a wildfire burning out of control near Fort Nelson, B.C., will be allowed to return Monday, according to officials.
An update Sunday from the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality said the evacuation orders triggered by the Parker Lake wildfire will be lifted at 8 a.m.
“Please note that though the order is being lifted and it has been deemed safe to re-enter the community … there are still active fires in the area. As such an evacuation alert will remain in effect until such time as the risk has been eliminated,” reads a notice on the NRRM website.
The evacuation orders were issued by the NRRM as well as the Fort Nelson First Nation two weeks ago and impacted roughly 3,700 people. Officials confirmed last week that four homes were destroyed by the blaze and an additional six properties were damaged.
The emergency department at Fort Nelson General Hospital will also reopen Monday, Northern Health has announced.
Some hospital staff have already returned to the community to conduct safety tests, re-stock supplies and clean the facility.
The emergency room will open with “limited” laboratory and medical imaging services, while the other departments in the hospital will start running again “in the weeks ahead,” the health authority said in a media release.
