Norman Wells (July 28/03) - There was a sense of deja vu for some 100 Norman Wells residents who were evacuated from the town of 800 for the second time in eight years.

The town implemented emergency measures Thursday to evacuate children under five years old, elderly and people with respiratory conditions.

As the residents exited the plane in Inuvik, most were in good spirits and were unfazed by the emergency flight.

Cindy Collier was in Norman Wells for the 1995 evacuation. She and her two children took the trip all in stride.

"We're doing it all over again and we'll make the best of the situation," Collier said.

When they were evacuated in '95, Collier said, it was a bit more frightening to the family.

"Last time we were all very anxious; the kids were small then," she said. "I don't think it was as smokey this time."

Her 12-year-old son Zach thought the trip was a good break in his routine.

"It's just like a vacation," he said.

Zach said there was a lot of smoke in town, but he wasn't scared by the fire.

"It just made me really, really dizzy," Zach said. "When we were in the store it felt like it was slanted and I was running down hill.

"It just made me a little nauseous."

Eric Smith was also in Norman Wells for the 1995 evacuation. He felt there was more of a need then, than this time. He was irritated by the interruption.

"It feels like hell," Smith said. "I'd much rather be back in the Wells."

He got a call from the nursing station while he was at work Tuesday night notifying him that he'd be leaving the next day.

In the 1995 evacuation, Smith stayed behind because he was on the town's emergency measures team. While he said there was a lot of smoke in town this time, he didn't feel the evacuation was necessary.

"The fire seemed a lot closer in '95 ... I don't think this was necessary," Smith said. "I think it's a bunch of crap -- they're jumping the gun."

Ian Gamble is a stay-at-home dad who accompanied his two children on the evacuation to Inuvik. He said the situation was handled very well by emergency services.

"It's going along quite well," Gamble said. "It's been very well organized and we're expecting everything to turn out quite well."