La Ronge evacuees to begin returning home Thursday
Some people forced from their homes by wildfires in northern Saskatchewan will soon start making their way home, as conditions improve in the La Ronge area.
Officials with the Town of La Ronge and Village of Air Ronge confirmed a mandatory evacuation order will be lifted at 8 a.m. Thursday. A roadblock at the south end of the community will remain in place until that time, the officials said in a Tuesday news release.
Evacuation orders for Hall Lake, Sucker River and Stanley Mission will also be rescinded by the Lac La Ronge Indian Band emergency operations centre.
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Fast-moving fires in Saskatchewan's north led to an order to evacuate La Ronge, Air Ronge, the Lac La Ronge reserve and everywhere within a 20-kilometre radius on June 2.
A phased return is set to begin, starting with healthy individuals returning in private vehicles, the band said. Full community return is targeted for the weekend of June 14 and 15, depending on available transportation.
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Officials say transportation help, such as providing fuel or shuttle buses, is being offered for Lac Lac Ronge Indian Band members who have been evacuated.
Those with private vehicles can contact the Lac La Ronge Indian Band emergency operations centre at 306-420-4901 on Wednesday to register for fuel assistance, the band said.
Some communities, including Stanley Mission, Grandmother's Bay, and Missinipe, will continue to experience scheduled power outages until Saturday due to fire-damaged infrastructure, Lac La Ronge Chief Tammy Cook-Searson said in a post on Facebook Tuesday.
SaskPower is working to restore electricity by Thursday, weather and safety permitting.
"Co-ordination is now underway for a safe, phased return of community members," Cook-Searson said in the Facebook post, thanking the front-line responders, municipalities and neighbouring First Nations "who stepped in when we needed it most."
"Your actions helped save lives and homes," she said.
Bittersweet return: evacuee
Tom Roberts, evacuated from Air Ronge 10 days ago, said the return will be bittersweet.
"We're going home with mixed emotions — happy we're going home. Sad to see the destruction," said Roberts, who has been staying with friends.
He said reading the notice evacuees will be able to return brought a sigh of relief. When the community was evacuated in 2015, it took over a month to get back home, he said.
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Roberts, a former CBC radio host who now works at the Lac La Ronge Wellness Centre, said he's preparing to see significant damage in parts of the north.
"I'm going to go see Robertson Trading Post — where I spent over 27 years at a CBC broadcaster — go see that in crumbles. Then I want to go north and have a look at all of the communities," he said.
He said that while some like him sheltered with friends, others spent nights in tents and struggled to access food.
"Thank goodness no lives were lost. And a big congratulations — hats off to all the firefighters," he said.
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This article, written by Aishwarya Dudha, was originally published for CBC News.
Thumbnail image courtesy: Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency/The Canadian Press via CBC News