Stanley Mission residents are headed back home after the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) lifted the evacuation order Monday morning.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) listed the McCafe Fire as 80 per cent contained after an assessment Sunday evening.  Chief Tammy Cook-Searson wrote on Facebook that the fire was not a threat to the community.

“The crews will continue to work on the fire,” Cook-Searson wrote Sunday night. “Based on the information provided by SPSA, the EOC has made the decision to lift the general evacuation order … for all residents of Stanley Mission beginning tomorrow.”

Evacuees in Prince Albert who did not have private vehicles began registering at 9 a.m. Monday morning. Four buses carrying around 220 people left the City at 11 a.m. for Stanley Mission.

Emergency Operations Manager Maurice Ratt issued an update at 11:45 a.m. on Monday saying steady rain throughout the morning gave firefighters and the SPSA the upper hand.

“We have ground crews that will continue to work the perimeter on some hot spots,” Ratt wrote. “We will see some smoke, but it is of no concern, as it is within the burn.”

Fire crews will continue to work along the road and patrol the area for hotspots. Ratt thanked the many firefighters from northern communities who stepped up when needed.

As of Monday, morning, the SPSA listed the McCafe Fire as 11,425 HA in size. Type 1, 2 and 3 crews are still on the line, as is the Emergency Response Team (ERT), heavy equipment, helicopter support and air tanker support.