More than 700 wildfire evacuees in Alberta can soon return to Metis community

HIGH LEVEL, AB — More than 700 people forced from a remote community in northern Alberta by wildfires will soon be allowed to go home.

Officials say evacuees from the Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement can safely return starting on Thursday.

Many of these people have been away since May 26 and 14 homes in the area have been destroyed.

Returning residents are to be given safety tips including not to turn on natural gas appliances until they are checked and to flush water lines.

More than 9,000 people in communities under mandatory evacuation orders are still out of their homes due to wildfires.

They include the Beaver First Nation, Dene Tha’ First Nation, parts of Mackenzie County and the Peerless Trout First Nation.

Other communities that remain on evacuation alert include High Level, other parts of Mackenzie County, Bigstone Cree Nation, Municipal District of Opportunity 17 and the hamlets of Wabasca-Desmarais, Sandy Lake and Chipewyan Lake.

The Chuckegg Creek, Jackpot Creek and McMillan complex wildfires together cover an area of about 6,750 square kilometres.

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