The majority of the summer's forest fire evacuees are now headed home from their temporary lodgings in Prince George.
"The number of wildfire evacuees in Prince George has peaked at just over 3,000 and the majority have now returned home," said City of Prince George spokesman Mike Kellett. "In fact, records at the Prince George Emergency Reception Centre indicate that nearly two-thirds of evacuees have returned home as wildfire conditions improve."
As a consequence of the improving conditions on the fire lines, and the ability of evacuees to return to their communities no longer under threat, the City has been able to cut back the hours of operation at the Emergency Reception Centre. It will be closed over the Labour Day long weekend.
"As evacuation orders and alerts are lifted, evacuees concerned about air quality in their home communities should note that smoky skies advisories continue to change from day to day across all regions," Kellett said. "According to Northern Health, community members should be advised to return home as air quality can vary greatly, and a home environment may be the healthiest. The Canadian Red Cross is also providing teams to assist with the recovery of communities that have been under either an evacuation alert or order."
The City's wildfire evacuation web page continues to provide updated information for evacuees in Prince George, along with links to various provincial and regional resources. This website also provides an option for people to subscribe to receive wildfire evacuation-related emails from the City.
