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Kakisa is no longer under an evacuation order and residents can return home, according to a Saturday update from the territorial government.
In a 12:30pm Facebook post, the GNWT said the community’s evacuation order had been downgraded to an evacuation alert, meaning residents should be ready to leave on short notice.
The territory advised residents to check highway conditions before travelling, bring enough basic supplies to last 72 hours, and watch out for fire crews working in the area.
Kakisa’s 36 residents have been under an evacuation order since August 17. The order was issued when territorial resources were stretched thin, with residents of Yellowknife and five other NWT communities told to evacuate in the days prior.
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Kakisa was also affected by a days-long, wildfire-induced communications blackout at the time.
Two days after the evacuation order was issued, most of the community’s residents had not left their homes, raising concerns that they had not received the order, as CBC previously reported.
Due to the communications blackout, Jay Boast, a spokesperson for the NWT’s Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, told the CBC the community’s chief was notified of the evacuation order by letter.
The community was also given a Starlink dish to provide residents with internet access.
Kim Wickholm, whose daughter lives in Kakisa, previously told Cabin Radio that several community members, including her daughter, only found out about the evacuation through Facebook.
