Hundreds of Saskatchewan forest fire evacuees heading home

With the wildfire situation in northern Saskatchewan improving, many people are now heading home.

According to the provincial government, almost all evacuation orders for northern communities have been lifted.

By tomorrow, only about 900 evacuees should still be out of their homes. At the height of the fires, more than 10,000 people were sent to southern Saskatchewan.

"It actually is a good sense of relief," said Frank Clinton, a health worker with the Lac La Ronge Indian Band. "It will be nice to be back in my home community, back to the fresh water and the trees. The trees that are left anyway."

About 1,500 people are ready to be bused back to their home communities today.

The provincial government is consolidating its operations to one centre in Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Regina. The centre in North Battleford should be closing completely over the next two days.

There are still evacuation orders in place for Hall Lake and Clam Bridge Crossing, two communities inside the Lac La Ronge Indian Band. Residents in those communities said they're getting impatient.

"They're not telling us how close [the fire] is," Hall Lake resident Travis Ross said. "They're just saying it's over there."

While many northerners are excited to get the chance to sleep in their own bed, some people say they'll miss the big city.

"I like it over here," Jimmy Ross,15, said. "It's been fun, exciting. Walked around, explored the place, made a bunch of new friends."