After being forced out of their homes on July 2 by the Sparks Lake fire, residents of the Skeetchestn Indian Band will be able to return home Wednesday morning.

Chief Darrel Draney has announced residents can return home at 8 a.m. tomorrow.

About 300 people on the band had been forced out of their homes since July 2, because of the massive Sparks Lake wildfire.

The blaze surrounded some homes but Draney says no structures were lost on the band.

He thanked volunteers and firefighters for their work.

“During the entire evacuation, these teams were committed everyday to working hard to ensure you have a home to return to, as soon as it’s safe to do so.”

The Sparks Lake fire does continue to burn out of control, and it’s now burned 68,500 hectares. The BC Wildfire Service says most of its growth is on the north flank.

Most homes close to the fire’s boundaries are on its southern flanks, where crews have made substantial progress on containment, and close to 200 properties within the Thompson-Nicola Regional District were taken off evacuation order last week.

Some homes have burned down as a result of the fire, but an exact number likely won’t be provided by the TNRD until after the blaze is brought under control.