Weekend rain helped stifle the flames of the wildfire that devastated Jasper neighbourhoods but the fire continues to rage within the bounds of the Jasper National Park.
Two weeks since thousands of people were forced to evacuate the park as a wall of flames moved in, a brief break in the summer heat has helped crews in their bid to contain the threat.
Parks Canada officials will provide an update today on the wildfire situation.
The news conference will begin at 11 a.m. MT. You can watch it live here.
In a statement issued Sunday evening, parks officials said favourable weather conditions helped crews make progress in dousing hot spots and protecting critical infrastructure both inside and outside of the townsite.
Cooler weather and light rain Saturday helped to minimize the spread of the fire, officials said.
Meanwhile, heavy rains on Sunday were expected to provide some “much needed relief” to crews, officials said. Up to 20 mm of rain was expected to fall in some areas of the park.
“Although this will not stop fire activity, it will minimize intensity and provide optimum conditions for firefighters to progress in fire suppression work.”
More than 20,000 people were evacuated from Jasper National Park two weeks ago as fires burning to the north and south moved in.
Two days later, sheets of orange flames, fanned by severe winds and arid conditions, crossed into the townsite, burning entire neighbourhoods to the ground.
By morning, about one-third of the townsite — 358 of the town’s 1,113 structures — were destroyed.
Despite the reprieve provided by the weather, officials have cautioned that the fire could burn for weeks, if not months.
The flames have now incinerated 34,000 hectares and continue to burn out of control.
WATCH | Jasper’s wildfire damage and the fight to save community:
The National gets an up close look at the wildfire damage in Jasper, Alta., the firefighting efforts to save as much of the community as possible and why it’s expected to take so long for residents to return home.
Planning for a phased re-entry have slowly ramped up. While evacuation orders remain in effect across the national park, residents of the townsite are now being allowed to survey the damage firsthand.
Bus tours of the devastation for residents whose homes were lost or damaged began Monday. About 259 households have registered for the tours, representing around 563 individual Jasper residents.
The tours were temporarily postponed temporarily on Sunday due to the death of a firefighter on the front lines.
A 24-year-old Calgary man who had been fighting the flames northeast of town was fatally injured Saturday by a falling tree.
The man — who RCMP say was part of the Rocky Mountain House Fire Base — was among hundreds of firefighters who are in Alberta to fight the massive wildfires affecting the province.
Reception centres in Grande Prairie, Calgary and Edmonton continue to provide support for evacuees.
The province and Alberta wildfire officials are holding a telephone town hall for wildfire evacuees on Tuesday evening from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Evacuees can join online at alberta.ca/emergency or by phone at 1-833-380-0691.