Dozens of families trickled back into 100 Mile House Sunday morning, coming home for the first time in nearly two weeks after an the evacuation order for the town and surrounding area was lifted Saturday.
The wildfire that forced thousands from the area is now more than 90 per cent contained.
Linda Fitz, a resident of 100 Mile House, said she came home to find her house in surprisingly good condition.
"There was no odour when we came in, there was no smell, everything looked great," she said.
Other's weren't so lucky.
"We're on Block Drive in the 108 and down on the bottom end of the drive there were some houses that burned," Gary Gerard said.
The Red Cross is advising people to pack cleaning supplies before they return home and contact their insurance company even if it seems like no damage was done. Free cleaning supplies provided by the Red Cross are available at the 100 Mile House curling rink.
Although the evacuation order has been lifted, 100 Mile House still remains under evacuation alert. That means residents should be prepared to leave again.
"There's still fires, the threat is still there… that's what has me," said Leanne Doucette, a 100 Mile House resident. "We're just hoping we don't get any lightning strikes and re-kindle a fire that's already kinda sorta under control."
Thousands more not allowed home
Williams Lake, the largest centre to be evacuated, remains empty.
Essential services like food and gas are being brought in, and the hospital is being set up. But the main concern is the fire which is only 10 per cent contained.
"The fire department is in visiting all the properties and dampening down the area around the homes and whatever structures remain… to make sure that no flare ups happen," said Al Richmond, chair of the Cariboo Regional District.
More than 4,000 firefighters now on the front lines
The number of firefighters fighting wildfires across B.C. climbed to 4,082 Sunday.
As of Sunday afternoon, there were 152 fires burning across the province. That's down from 161 Saturday.
Military troops are on standby in case more assistance is needed.
According to officials, a rainstorm is what's needed to dampen the flames.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Breanna Karstens-Smith.
