Edzo residents allowed to return home Monday, evacuation alert remains
CBC
Edzo residents can begin returning home at noon on Monday.
The community will remain under an evacuation alert as a wildfire continues to burn close by.
Behchokǫ̀ Chief Clifford Daniels said Monday the community government was preparing for residents by delivering water and collecting sewage prior to the return.
Behchokǫ̀ is made up of two communities: Rae and Edzo. Rae is connected to Highway 3 via a 10-kilometre access road, while Edzo is southwest of Rae along the highway.
Residents began evacuating their homes about a week ago due to a wildfire growing toward the community.
Daniels added that about 600 people would be coming back from the south, including hundreds who attended the Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage in Alberta.
"If they do choose to return, we want them to be aware that there could be an evacuation notice any time or night," said Daniels.
He added that the fire had not breached Frank Channel, which is why the community government is allowing residents to return to Edzo.
"We're just playing this day by day, just to see how things happen," said Daniels.
Over the weekend, heavy rain fell near Behchokǫ̀, a welcome sight for the community.
"The rains really did help there," said Daniels. "But the land being dry as it is, it just got soaked up. It just went back into the ground … and then after that you could just feel the heat again. We haven't had that rain in over a month, so it was much needed. It was good timing and the firefighters there were just celebrating to see that downpour."
Mike Westwick, fire information officer with the N.W.T. government, said, thanks to the rain, crews were "starting to get the upper hand on this thing to the west, around the community of Rae."
"It's really going to be helping our efforts."
He added that firefighters were working on completing a 300-foot perimeter around neighbouring Rae — where the wildfire has claimed four homes — and that crews would start to assess the damage to cabins and homes along Highway 3 on Monday.
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