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Northern evacuees leave Winnipeg, return home after smoke lifts

Residents of Little Grand Rapids, Man., arrive in Winnipeg on Sunday, July 7, 2019, after being evacuated from their homes due to heavy smoke drifting in from Ontario wildfires. All residents have returned home. DANTON UNGER/Winnipeg Sun/Postmedia Network file
Residents of Little Grand Rapids, Man., arrive in Winnipeg on Sunday, July 7, 2019, after being evacuated from their homes due to heavy smoke drifting in from Ontario wildfires. All residents have returned home. DANTON UNGER/Winnipeg Sun/Postmedia Network file

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The last residents forced to evacuate Pauingassi First Nation because of wildfire smoke last week returned home on Sunday after more than a week away.

The last plane to leave ended a 10-day evacuation of more than 220 people from Panuingassi and Little Grand Rapids First Nation after they were brought to Winnipeg and put up in hotels.

Those evacuated were people who had the greatest health risks along with a companion.

People from Little Grand Rapids were returned home on Thursday and Friday of last week. The return home for those in Pauingassi happened over the weekend by float plane as the First Nation does not have an airstrip.

The Red Cross co-ordinated flights, lodging, food and other necessary support for evacuees and said community leadership deemed it safe to return home.

The response from Red Cross is part of an agreement between the Canadian Red Cross and the federal government to provide all disaster assistance to Manitoba First Nations.

Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019

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