Bolton residents forced to leave their homes after major flooding Friday night will now be allowed to go back to assess the damage. Emergency personnel will be escorting residents to their homes and depending on the damage, some homes may be released back to the owners, the Town of Caledon said on Twitter Saturday afternoon. Residents are being asked to check in at the emergency command post at King Street and Humberlea Road before going to their homes. Up to 85 homes were evacuated after ice jams caused the Humber River to breach its banks around 7 p.m. Friday. The flood submerged parts of the downtown area, affecting between 200 and 300 people. As many as 30 homes appear to have been directly affected by the flooding. The recent warm temperatures coupled with the heavy rainfall is being blamed for the flooding. It has also prompted flood warnings for areas near the Grand River. Caledon OPP blocked off King Street, the main downtown artery, from Queen Street to the Caledon- King Townline Road. “This is still an emergency zone” said Caledon Mayor Allan Thompson, who added crews would be working through the night to deal with the ice on the river. By 4:30 p.m. Saturday, the floodwater had receded and officials were hopefully most residents would be able to return home. A temporary evacuation centre remains open at the Caledon Centre for Recreation and Wellness. Officials say about 20 people attended the centre but many opted to stay with friends and family. The local Hampton Inn also housed residents at its own expense to give back to the community, Thompson said. The mayor also addressed concerns that officials should have done more to mitigate the potential of flooding. “This wasn’t a problem area,” he said. “Yesterday morning, nothing looked like it was going to be a problem. It wasn’t until 7 p.m. last night when everything started to get caught up in the trees on the river banks and around the bridge structures and it started to pile up. This is what created the flooding.”<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email Dozens of homes in downtown Bolton have been evacuated due to flooding caused by up to three ice jams in the Humber River. Authorities said they first received reports that the river was rising on Friday afternoon before it crested the riverbanks around 7 p.m. and began to go into homes. “Things have been changing rapidly over just the last couple of hours as the river continues to rise,” Caledon fire Chief Darryl Bailey told Global News late Friday. Bailey said some homeowners have reported up to six feet of water in their basements, which has damaged hydro equipment. As a result, power has been shut off for a number homes in the area, Bailey said. Story continues below advertisement Eighty homes have been evacuated along with a senior’s residence, affecting nearly 150 people. Of the 80 homes, 30 have been impacted by flooding. A number of other homes were also put on notice as of late Friday. “We have several families that are on notice in the area that they may have to evacuate at any time,” Bailey said. Emergency crews are also going door to door checking in on residents. Meanwhile, an evacuation centre has been set up at a nearby community centre. Brampton Transit buses have been brought in to transport residents to the community centre as Caledon does not have its own transit system. There is no word on how long the flooding is expected to last. Fire crews are working alongside the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to determine how to break up the ice jams. READ MORE: Minor flooding potential in Peterborough area with heavy rain in the forecast Story continues below advertisement Bailey said heavy machinery was ordered in Friday night and that residents won’t be able to return to their homes until the ice jams are removed. Caledon Mayor Allan Thompson told Global News that older infrastructure has also made the flooding a lot worse. “A lot of it is maybe from the river, some of it’s coming out of the ground because these are older homes with flagstone walls,” he said. “There’s many ways how the water is entering people’s homes, but what we’re trying to do is reduce the property damage as quickly as possible.” UPDATE: ROAD CLOSURE: King St remains CLOSED between Queen St and Caledon- King Townline Rd #Bolton – due to high water levels in the area. Reopening time unknown ^ag pic.twitter.com/vfjYrebYzC — OPPCommunicationsCR (@OPP_COMM_CR) March 16, 2019<doc-sep>Share this Story: Major flooding prompts evacuation of Bolton homes Major flooding prompts evacuation of Bolton homes Article content Upwards of 250 people in Bolton were forced out of their homes because of flooding when the Humber River breached its banks because of ice jams Friday evening. “People from about 85 homes were evacuated to the Caledon Wellness Centre,” OPP Const. Iryna Nebogatova said Saturday. “There have been no injuries, but we are asking for people to stay clear of the area.” We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Major flooding prompts evacuation of Bolton homes Back to video Saturday morning: areas along the Humber in downtown Bolton remain flooded due to ice jams. The evacuation zone put in place last night remains. #Caledon Fire is on scene, with @OPP_COMM_CR. Heavy equipment continues to work at unblocking the ice jams. pic.twitter.com/hITsSL8d8N — Your Caledon (@YourCaledon) March 16, 2019 Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content It was not immediately clear when residents will be able to return to their homes. “We have been able to free up some of the jam and we are using drones on scene to provide us with information,” Fire Chief Darryl Bailey said. Heavy equipment has also been brought in to free the ice. UPDATE: ROAD CLOSURE: King St remains CLOSED between Queen St and Caledon- King Townline Rd #Bolton - due to high water levels in the area. Reopening time unknown ^ag pic.twitter.com/vfjYrebYzC — OPPCommunicationsCR (@OPP_COMM_CR) March 16, 2019 Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “We have contractors getting the ice removed but it is still a dangerous situation,” Mayor Allan Thompson said. “The flooding has stopped at this point. Now we are working at getting the ice and frozen trees out that came down the stream.” Once the river is safe and flowing, the city will inspect evacuated homes with utilities, such as Hydro One, to see if the structures are safe for people to move in again. kconnor@postmedia.com Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Toronto Sun Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Toronto SUN, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. 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About 200 people forced from their homes in Bolton, Ont., by severe flooding are now awaiting word on when they may be able to return. Six ice jams that formed in the Humber River caused water levels to rise rapidly beginning around 7 p.m. Friday. The flood water quickly filled an overflow weir before spilling onto roadways and private properties in the community about 90 kilometres from downtown Toronto. The area surrounding the intersection of King Street E. and Humber Lea Road were hardest hit by high water levels, Ontario Provincial Police said Saturday. Evacuations began around 8: 30 p.m. last night, with emergency services going door-to-door to warn residents, according to Caledon Mayor Allan Thompson. Bolton is the most populous community within the town of Caledon. Saturday morning: areas along the Humber in downtown Bolton remain flooded due to ice jams. The evacuation zone put in place last night remains. #Caledon Fire is on scene, with @OPP_COMM_CR. Heavy equipment continues to work at unblocking the ice jams. pic.twitter.com/hITsSL8d8N —@YourCaledon At 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, as the flood waters crested, officials expanded the evacuation zone. "We were able to get everybody to safe ground quickly," Thompson said. Construction crews brought in heavy equipment overnight in an effort to break up the dangerous build-up of ice and debris. Ice flows continue to come down river, however. "We're trying to pull the ice off the river and back onto the banks so we can keep the water moving," Thompson explained. "But we clear one and then another jam forms somewhere else. It's going to be an ongoing issue." The area around the river remains an "emergency zone," he added. #Boltonflood2019 There is still flooding in low-lying areas east of HWY 50 along King St. Crews are working w heavy machinery to free the ice jams. Roads are closed in the area. pic.twitter.com/G0w4J6LNmz —@YourCaledon Engineers are on scene, but they need the water to recede further before they can assess the extent of damage done to homes and other structures. Some of the older homes in Bolton have foundations of flagstone rather than concrete and are therefore more susceptible to water damage. Residents who were forced from their homes are currently being sheltered at the Caledon Centre for Recreation and Wellness. They spent the night at a local hotel. Thompson said he hopes that most will be able to return to their homes on Saturday, but it's not clear if that will be possible. Utilities crews are not yet able to turn hydro and gas lines back on. "There's just a lot of water displaced all over streets and all over peoples' yards," he said. One apartment building also sustained significant damage. Town officials believe it could be several days before those residents are able to get back into their units. The flooding prompted OPP to close several roads in the vicinity of the Humber River. Drivers and pedestrians are advised to avoid the area until waters recede.