An evacuated Manitoba First Nation left in the dark after wildfires knocked out power says the return of residents could be fast-tracked if the community was outfitted with generators — but the province's hydro provider says it's focusing on repairs instead.

Pukatawagan's council had been in talks with Manitoba Hydro and the province to get generators, and temporarily supply electricity to the remote community while the Crown corporation restores the power infrastructure destroyed by out-of-control blazes earlier this summer, Deputy Chief Kelly Linklater told CBC News.

Without generators, Linklater said it is unclear when Pukatawagan will get power back, which is needed to lift the evacuation order in the community — one of the longest-running in Manitoba this wildfire season — tha

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