Three weeks since a wildfire forced a mass evacuation of Jasper National Park, thousands of people forced from their homes will be allowed to return to the town on Friday.
Residents will be allowed back to the wildfire-ravaged community beginning Aug. 16, officials announced during a news conference Monday.
Parks Canada and the municipality provided details on re-entry plans Monday as crews make critical gains in containing the forest fire that devastated the historic townsite and restoring critical services for returning evacuees.
“Re-entry into the municipality will pose challenges to those who have lost their homes, businesses and treasured places,” said Jonathan Large, incident commander with Parks Canada, during Monday’s news conference.
“We hope that this first step brings some hope to the community.
“We really thank you for your patience and understanding and incredible support throughout this. For without it, we would not have been able to make this announcement today.”
All residents and business owners will be allowed to enter the park starting at 7 a.m. Friday morning when Highway 16 opens. Officials cautioned, however, that accommodations and services in the town will be limited.
Emergency services have been restored and critical services are in the final stages of being set up. Officials are still working to establish critical retail services, including gas and grocery stores.
There is no restriction preventing visitors from entering the park but campground and day-use areas will remain closed for the time being.
In a statement Monday, Parks Canada officials said firefighters have made significant progress in protecting the town of Jasper and surrounding infrastructure.
The northwest end of the fire — the portion of the blaze that poses the greatest threat to the community — is now considered 99 per cent contained or controlled, up from 89 per cent contained the day before.
The fire that devastated Jasper is part of a cluster of fires still burning out of control in the national park. It now spans 33,000 hectares, but recent rain and cooler temperatures have helped crews tame the most dangerous parts of the blaze.
“Air and ground operations continue to work together to stop the spread on the north end of the fire, while focusing on the safe return of residents,” the agency said.
Evacuation orders were issued last month as the flames from fires burning to the north and south of Jasper moved dangerously close to the historic townsite.
Within hours, 20,000 visitors and 5,000 town residents were forced out of the national park.
Less than 48 hours later, the flames from the south fire moved in, eventually merging with the northern fire, incinerating entire neighbourhoods.
Highway 16 through Jasper National Park has reopened to the public for limited hours each day. CBC’s Travis McEwan takes us on a drive to see what you can expect journeying through the Rocky Mountains after the wildfire.
About one-third of the buildings in the townsite — 358 of 1,113 total structures — were destroyed. While entire streets were razed, buildings housing key infrastructure including the hospital and water treatment plant, were saved.
On Saturday, Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland said the work of the fire incident management team meant plans to re-enter the town safely were moving faster than expected.
In a statement Sunday, Parks Canada said returning evacuees will need to be as self-sufficient as possible, given retail and fuel services could be limited.
Work in reconnecting essential services to gas, water and electricity progresses, restoration of residential services could take up to three weeks or more, Parks Canada said.
Information sessions are being organized to help residents navigate some of the logistical challenges of re-entry, following their return, the agency said.
Longtime Jasper resident Stephen Nelson captured this video during a bus tour through the devastated historic townsite. The tours are being offered to residents as plans for re-entry ramp up and the fight against the wildfire continues.
Officials have cautioned that a return to the community will ultimately hinge on the activity of the wildfire, which remains volatile.
According to the municipality’s re-entry criteria, Parks Canada must confirm the wildfire is no longer an imminent threat to the townsite
Crews must also remove dangerous debris from the townsite, including scorched trees or unstable wreckage of burned buildings, as well as restore critical and emergency services, including essential retail services such as gas and grocery stores.
Fire officials have said the fire will continue to burn for months and officials expect to be fighting the flames well into the fall season.