Residents allowed to return to their homes after wildfires in Canada

(Keystone SDA) In the Canadian oil city of Fort McMurray, residents who fled wildfires were allowed to return to their homes on Saturday. Officials have lifted the call to evacuate.

Mayor Sandy Bowman thanked the 6,000 residents for their “patience, determination and strength.” Long-awaited rains have curbed the intensity of wildfires in the western Canadian province of Alberta. The city said it had made “significant progress” in fighting the fire on the north side.

However, as of Saturday morning (local time), more than 19,000 hectares of fire were still not under control, according to the fire department. However, more rain is expected.

Fort McMurray was ordered to evacuate Tuesday as flames threatened to approach the city.

The area is well known for forest fires

Eight years ago, a wildfire in Fort McMurray destroyed 2,500 homes and displaced 90,000 people. The fire was one of the worst disasters in Canadian history.

Canadian officials are bracing for a potentially devastating new wildfire. Last year, Canada experienced its worst wildfire season ever. 15 million hectares of land burned, eight firefighters were killed and 230,000 people were evacuated.

According to officials, 114 wildfires were burning across the country as of Saturday afternoon, including 42 in Alberta and 40 in the western province of British Columbia.