NANAIMO — The last group of wildfire evacuees forced from their Vancouver Island homes by a blaze north of Nanaimo were allowed to return over the weekend after crews got the fire under control.

The BC Wildfire Service announced Saturday afternoon that crews made significant progress in combating the Wesley Ridge blaze burning near Cameron Lake.

The wildfire service said firefighters were still in the area patrolling and extinguishing hot spots. Nearby communities may continue seeing smoke for weeks.

At one point, hundreds of residents had been ordered out of their homes due to the fire that was detected on July 31.

The Regional District of Nanaimo said it was pleased all residents could return home after an evacuation order for the final 35 properties and an evacuation alert for 268 p

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