People forced to flee from a wildfire in the High Level, Alta., area will be able to return home on Monday.
The northern Alberta town and surrounding communities have been under an evacuation order since May 20, as the out-of-control Chuckegg Creek wildfire burns nearby.
Evacuation orders for High Level, Mackenzie County, Bushe River, Meander River and Chateh will lift at 10 a.m., according to the Town of High Level website.
The order will be replaced by an evacuation alert, meaning people should still be ready to leave on short notice.
“Officials from the county, town and First Nation, along with their respective fire chiefs, in addition to Alberta Wildfire, have determined this area is relatively safe from the fire. This could change, if the weather changes,” the website reads.
The town is asking people to arrive after 10 a.m. so they won’t have to wait in a line of vehicles.
Community leaders made the announcement in a Facebook live with Alberta Premier Jason Kenney.
High Level Mayor Crystal McAteer said local grocery stores, banks and the hospital will be open.
“Everything is ready, so when you come back tomorrow, we’ll be very excited to see you,” she said.
At 280,000 hectares, the wildfire is still out of control.
“The wildfire remains very active and unpredictable,” the town website reads. “Smoke may be very thick for days and weeks to come, and ash may be falling.”
Kenney said there isn’t much precipitation in the forecast for northwestern Alberta.
“But with the higher humidity and the time that the wildfire services had to create some structural defences elsewhere, I think we have some reason to be hopeful that this big fire is going to be contained,” he said.
Around 11,000 people have evacuated their homes as a number of wildfires burn across northern Alberta.