Residents who were forced to flee Jasper, Alta., three weeks ago due to a wildfire will find out Monday when and how they can return home.
Members from the unified incident command team are expected to hold a media briefing Monday morning to provide information regarding the phased re-entry into the town of Jasper.
An evacuation order was issued for Jasper National Park on Monday, June 22 due to wildfires, and residents have been out of their homes ever since.
Officials have since said that fire destroyed about a third of the buildings within the townsite.
An update on the Municipality of Jasper’s Facebook page Sunday afternoon said work to restore residential gas, water and electricity services could take up to three weeks or more. Residents should be prepared to be as self-sufficient as possible, the update stated.
As for the wildfire itself, officials said Sunday that the northwest perimeter is now 89 per cent contained. Fire crews continue to focus on this area to gain control and secure the perimeter to fully eliminate the wildfire threat to the townsite.
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The wildfire remains out of control at about 33,000 hectares in size.
Bus tours of the Jasper townsite for residents, which began last week, continue this week.
For the latest information on which areas in Alberta are under an evacuation alert or order due to a wildfire, visit the Alberta Emergency Alert website.
For the latest information on the wildfire status and danger across the province, visit the Alberta Wildfire website.
The latest information on fire advisories, restrictions and bans across the province can be found on the Alberta fire bans website.
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