The mayor of the regional municipality that includes Fort Nelson, B.C., that was evacuated due to a threatening wildfire says local officials are pushing for a Monday or Tuesday deadline to start allowing about 4,700 residents home after nearly two weeks.
Rob Fraser says the B次元官网网址渋mminent riskB次元官网网址 posed by the Parker Lake fire has been reduced, and officials are focused on rolling out a phased approach to residentsB次元官网网址 return.
He says in a video posted late Wednesday that some doctors had returned to the community along with grocery staff who were restocking shelves.
Fraser says water, hydro and hydroelectric services were operational, and crews with FortisBC were in town examining the natural gas companyB次元官网网址檚 infrastructure.
The mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality says officials were planning to reach out to the operators of B次元官网网址減hase threeB次元官网网址 businesses this weekend.
Fraser says he was B次元官网网址渆xtremely happyB次元官网网址 to start thinking about an end date to the evacuation that began on May 10 as strong winds pushed the Parker Lake blaze to within about two kilometres of Fort Nelson.
B次元官网网址淚f it keeps going the way itB次元官网网址檚 been going, weB次元官网网址檒l be making a call here on the weekend, IB次元官网网址檓 pretty sure of that,B次元官网网址 he said of the decision on when to lift the evacuation order.
Fraser said the Parker Lake fire was smouldering but appeared fairly B次元官网网址渄ormant.B次元官网网址
B次元官网网址淭he wildfire crews continue to work away, any place that itB次元官网网址檚 getting close to the edge, so they can be real comfortable theyB次元官网网址檝e got good containment and that itB次元官网网址檚 wet along the edges,B次元官网网址 he said in WednesdayB次元官网网址檚 video.
An update from the BC Wildfire Service on Thursday says conditions remained favourable for firefighting, although temperatures were rising and relative humidity was expected to drop. Winds gusts up to 30 kilometres an hour were also in the forecast, the service says.
Fraser said the Northern Rockies municipality is working with officials in Taylor, B.C., about 20 kilometres north of Fort St. John, where many evacuees have been staying, to set up a meeting for Fort Nelson residents ahead of their return home.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檒l talk about the plan to return, what that looks like,B次元官网网址 he said, adding local officials were also in touch with the leadership at nearby Fort Nelson First Nation that was also evacuated.
READ ALSO:
READ ALSO:
The Canadian Press