The former Rideau Regional Centre in Smiths Falls will once again be empty on Wednesday after the last of 640 northern Ontario fire evacuees has flown back home.
Smiths Falls has hosted the evacuees, which include 200 children, for fourteen days.
One-third of the evacuees bused to Ottawa Monday to be flown back to their community of Deer Lake, and another third left Tuesday.
Those on their way back to their community said they're excited to be on their way.
"I gotta go fishing back home," said Johnny Meekis.
A representative from Deer Lake said Smiths Falls set the bar as a perfect example of what a host community should be.
"We hadn't thought about setting the bar high," said Smiths Falls Mayor Dennis Staples. "We just thought about what we can do to assist these individuals while they were with us."
That assistance involved rapidly preparing the abandoned Rideau Regional Centre building.
"We had to get the water on, the water tested, close to 600 cots installed, food supplied, phone lines installed," Staples said.
All this happened while many in Smiths Falls are unemployed after 1,700 jobs were lost in a short period of time.
"We know about resiliency, we know about tough times," said Jennifer Miller with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lanark County, whose volunteers sorted and steamed clothing.
"Certainly we haven't been through something like these folks have gone through, but our community understands that when there's a challenge you pull through together, come out stronger."
One hundred forty active fires are still burning in northern Ontario, including 20 new ones, which could mean another need to evacuate.
Staples said if they need to take in more evacuees, they'll be ready, saying "this is neighbours being neighbours."
The last 150 or so evacuees are scheduled to leave Wednesday morning.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Karen Soloman
