Residents forced out of Canada's oil sands hub by wildfire cleared to return, officials say

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FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta (AP) — Residents who were ordered out of Canada's oil sands hub of Fort McMurray, Alberta, due to a nearby wildfire are clear to return home, authorities said Saturday.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo lifted the evacuation order for the Abasand, Beacon Hill, Prairie Creek and Grayling Terrace neighborhoods on the city’s southern edge.

About 6,600 residents of those neighborhoods were forced to hastily leave their homes on Tuesday when the fire was still deemed out-of-control, but a statement from the municipality said firefighters made considerable progress since then.

The statement said recent rainy weather has helped tamp down the blaze and reduce its intensity, allowing those fighting it to bring it under control and erect fireguards at its northern edge.

The municipality said local highways were open in both directions and emergency social services, including food and accommodation, will remain available until noon on Sunday.

The partial evacuation was familiar terrain for the Albertan city, which survived a catastrophic blaze in 2016 that destroyed 2,400 homes and forced more than 80,000 people to flee.

Elsewhere, the Parker Lake and Patry Creek wildfires continue to threaten the northeastern British Columbia town of Fort Nelson, which remained under an evacuation order.