About 7,000 residents of communities in northern Saskatchewan are returning home after they were forced to flee the area when it was overrun by raging wildfires earlier this month.
A mandatory evacution order was lifted for La Ronge, Air Ronge and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band on Friday because there is no immediate threat to the population.
The mayor of La Ronge, Thomas Sierzycki, said at press conference on Saturday that he was excited to see people returning home.
"It was a great sight to see … and it wasn’t until we had seen some people come into the community that it struck home that it was real," said Sierzycki.
Evacuee Melinda Ratt said she was overjoyed to return to the area.
"I actually did a little dance. I was so happy to be home … after 20, 21 days away," Ratt told Â鶹´«Ã½.
La Ronge resident Adam Leung stayed behind to take care of his family's gas station.
He told Â鶹´«Ã½ Channel that the evacuees who have returned are happy to be able to resume their everyday lives.
"(I've heard) a lot of sighs of relief that their homes are safe and sound, and this whole ordeal is over and they can come home finally," said Leung.
"It feels really great, it is so nice and it feels really refreshing to have people back," he added.
Many residents were forced to live in temporary shelters in Prince Albert, while others found hotels or stayed with friends and family.
While there was no physical to damage to the town itself, Sierzycki said locals have lost valuables and property to the fires and will require assistance going forward.
Sierzycki said he'll now turn his attention to securing some form of financial relief from the federal provincial governments, to help ease the financial toll the evacuation has taken on the residents of La Ronge.
La Ronge became a ghost town during the evacuation, with most stores shuttered and residents gone from the area.
"Unfortunately not everyone was paid during the last two weeks, which was tough on families," said Sierzycki.
"Small business have been closed (and) they're itching to get back at least to start trying to make a little bit of funds … A lot of business use (the summer months) to make a good profit," he added.
Sierzycki said the local tourism industry also took a hit as highways were closed and some campgrounds were ravaged by the flames.
Fire crews and recent rainfalls have helped subdue the wildfires. However, fire risk remains high in the province's northern forests.
Sierzycki thanked fire personnel and members of the Canadian Armed Forces for their work on the frontlines.
"The last couple weeks, especially for our tri-community, have been trying. However, I can say the men and woman on the frontlines have done a tremendous job in ensuring the safety of our community long term," said Sierzycki.
About 600 military personnel were dispatched to fight fires across the province. Two hundred of them were preparing to leave on Saturday as the wildfire threat subsided.
However, there are still 103 fires burning in the province in what has been a busy year for firefighters across Canada. To date, there have been more than 5,000 fires in the country, 1,200 more than the yearly average.
At the annual premiers' summit this week in St. John's. N.L., provincial leaders called for a national strategy on wildfires to be put in place for next year.
The plan would include mandatory firefighting training for every solider.
"This would help us face down a year like we've had, maybe even get ahead of the curve," said Paul David, premier of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Supporters say the approach may also help provincial authorities avoid the need to call in reinforcements from other countries, as B.C. did earlier this week when it brought in firefighters from Australia.
With a report from Â鶹´«Ã½' Omar Sachedina
