Residents of Silverton are allowed to return to their homes after the community's evacuation order was downgraded to an alert on Tuesday afternoon.

The Regional District of Central Kootenay announced 185 properties in Silverton, 17 properties in the surrounding area of Area H, and 12 properties and four parcel identifiers in the Wilson Creek area are part of the downgrade. The Wilson Creek wildfire is also now considered under control.

An evacuation alert has also been rescinded for New Denver as well as 159 properties and 114 parcels in the surrounding area. 

Properties south of Silverton including the entire Village of Slocan remain under an evacuation order.

Silverton had been under evacuation order since July 24.

The Komonko Creek and Aylwin Creek fires south of Silverton were a combined 2,925 hectares in size as of Tuesday afternoon. Directly across Slocan Lake, the Nemo Creek fire is 4,694 hectares.

Highway 6 remains closed from one kilometre south of New Denver to 11 km south of Slocan.