As the total number of evacuees in Prince George reached 9,900 on Sunday, some evacuees were returning home. Residents of 100 Mile House – and adjacent areas including 108 Mile and Lac la Hache – were able to leave as of Saturday afternoon after their evacuation order had been downgraded to an evacuation alert.
For those without transportation, buses will be leaving the College of New Caledonia and the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre this afternoon at 1:00pm and bringing area evacuees to the South Cariboo Recreation Centre where a resilience centre has been established to provide additional re-entry support for residents.
The return trip to the South Cariboo is requiring that travellers first head east along Highway 16 before turning south on Highway 5. This route is expected to take about seven hours.
The Cariboo Regional District has provided information for residents returning home.
Note that evacuation orders remain in effect for numerous parts of the Cariboo, including Williams Lake, McLeese Lake, and 150 Mile House, and re-entry into those areas remains restricted. Residents of places still under evacuation order should remain in Prince George until they are informed that it is safe to return home.
Town Hall tonight
An update on the Cariboo wildfires will headline a town hall meeting tonight, which will be hosted at the UNBC Canfor Theatre and simulcast to CNC room 1-306 and the Northern Sport Centre. The event will be livestreamed at www.unbc.ca/livestreamand begin at 5 p.m.
