REGINA - Most of the Saskatchewan residents who fled their communities under threat from raging forest fires are going  home.

The provincial government says most of 1,700 northern residents from Pelican Narrows, Sandy Bay and Stony Rapids began heading home Sunday afternoon.

They had been housed at evacuation centres in Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina since being evacuated last week.

Government officials said Sunday that heavy rainfall helped quell some of the blazes, although some were still considered out of control.

About 40 people from Uranium City will stay in Prince Albert due to continued health risks from smoke.