Residents of Yellowknife, Dettah, and Ndilǫ can finally return home at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 6.
That’s according to a joint update shared by the City of Yellowknife and the Yellowknives Dene First Nation on Friday evening.
This puts an end to three weeks of uncertainty for more than 20,000 residents.
The update cautions residents that the return is subject to weather conditions.
The City is still in the third phase of its five-phase re-entry plan, which is to call back essential workers. Highway 1 was scheduled to close about an hour ago, which will delay their return.
The announcement of a return date doesn’t mean the battle with the fire is over: NWT Fire reports that an “extreme wind event” this weekend will be a test for the city’s defences, and crews may be required to pull back depending on conditions.
Crews were also preparing for an “extreme wind event” near Hay River/K’atl’odeeche First Nation today, while battling hot and dry conditions and strong winds in the area.
Near Fort Smith, smoke was forecast to keep fire activity down by creating shade and keeping humidity higher.
There were no new fires in the territory on Friday.
