Residents who are returning are being reminded that an evacuation alert remains in place, meaning they should be ready to leave again at short notice if fire conditions change.
“It’s almost like muscle memory when you drive that highway, it’s almost like you shut your mind off and just drive, and you end up at home,” Coleman said in an interview Sunday.Coleman and her husband had been staying in Peace River, Alta., since Hay River, as well as the nearby hamlet of Enterprise and K’atl’odeeche First Nation, were evacuated on Aug. 13. They made the six-hour drive home Saturday in separate vehicles when the evacuation order was finally lifted at 9 a.m.
Enterprise residents remain evacuated due to the fire risk. K’atl’odeeche First Nation residents were allowed back Sunday. “So we hadn’t even had a chance to go up to sign the lease and get the keys and all that,” explained Warnock, who was driving back to Edmonton Sunday to bring up a second carload.The firewood processing operation near Hay River, N.W.T., up in flames August 2023.The drive to Hay River was smoky, Warnock said, particularly when they crossed from Alberta into N.W.T. On Saturday night near Enterprise, he said he could see flareups in the distance.
“It’s a good opportunity to go out and reconnect at coffee shops, restaurants or your favourite stores. I’m looking forward to meeting you, as you come home,” she said in her social media post Saturday.
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