Cooler temperatures and light rain brought relief that allowed some wildfire evacuees to return home in Canada's Alberta province on Tuesday, but several blazes were still out of control.
Authorities have lifted evacuation orders for a handful of communities after beating back flames, but suffocating smoke still fills the air.
The number of wildfires that forced 30,000 people to flee in the past four days has fallen from a peak of 110 to 81, with 24 still listed as out of control.
But officials warned that a return to hot and dry conditions was expected by Friday and would persist through the weekend.
