The mayor of Yellowknife says it's not yet safe for residents to go home to the territorial capital, but notes city officials are working on a return plan as a fire continues to burn about 15 kilometres away.
Most of the residents in the city of 20,000 evacuated by air or road late last week to cities and towns as far south as Calgary and as far east as Winnipeg.
``Of course, the question that everyone wants to know is when can we come home?'' Rebecca Alty told reporters at a briefing Tuesday evening.
The return plan, she said, has two parts.
``One is fire safety and two is ensuring essential services are back up and operational,'' said Alty.
``We started our planning on Friday and we'll continue working on it until we can welcome residents back. Unfortunately, for now, it's not safe to return so residents should remain where they are.''