Dozens of homeowners forced to leave their homes last week due to threats of a wildfire burning north of Edmonton are now allowed to return home.
An evacuation order near the Redwater provincial recreation area in Sturgeon County has been lifted — effective at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
An update on the Sturgeon County website said the fire is now classified as “being held,” which means it is not expected to grow beyond its current boundaries given current weather conditions, and notes the “excellent progress” firefighters have made on the fire.
Despite the progress — and lifting of the evacuation order — Sturgeon County remains under a state of local emergency.
The size of the fire is currently at 3,230 hectares and, despite being listed as being held, the county said there are still hot spots burning that need to be extinguished.
In some cases, the fire has burned deeply into the ground and officials said putting out those hot spots will take time.
The county has also posted re-entry information for residents online, offering guidance on dealing with burned timber, waste disposal, drinking water safety and cleaning refrigerators and freezers.
People are also being asked to continue to respect road closures in the area and avoid burned areas to give firefighters room to work.
