'Voluntary' Jasper townsite re-entry will start on Friday: officials

Jasper residents will be able to start returning home on Friday, Aug. 16, officials announced on Monday.

All residents and business owners will be able to return on Friday between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. when Highway 16 is open to traffic.

Re-entry is possible because the fire danger is lower, although officials warn the state of local emergency remains in place and the town will likely remain on evacuation alert.

• What will be open and what won't as Jasper residents return home on Friday

Critical services have also been restored to allow for habitation.

"We've restored emergency services to provide a basic level of service. So we have fire services, EMS or ambulance services, police services, as well as 911, dispatch services have been restored," Christine Nadon, incident commander for the municipality of Jasper, told reporters on Monday.

"Critical services are ongoing. They must be restored to provide a basic level of service, which we anticipate will be met by Friday. Electricity to critical infrastructure is restored to 95 per cent, natural gas to 85 per cent, telecommunications to 95 per cent, water 30 per cent, wastewater 30 per cent, and health care 10 per cent."

• Complete coverage of the 2024 Alberta wildfire season

Nadon warns that while residents are being allowed to re-enter, even those who have not lost homes should have a backup plan for where they will sleep Friday night.

"If there is a home standing, there could be significant damage on the inside," she said. "There has not been any assessment done on any private property. So it is very important for homeowners to check with their insurers and do a good visual assessment of their property before going in."

"There could be smoke damage, there could be water damage, depending if you left windows open or what the status of the property was when you left."

Bonhomme Street in Jasper, Alta. on July 31, 2024. (Source: Parks Canada)

Many residents will also find their homes without some vital utilities.

"On the north side of town that was less affected by the fire, there's a good chance that people will go to their homes and they will find the services are restored," Nadon said.

"Electricity, gas, water, there's potable water on the north end of town, and there's a chance that residents who go to those homes may be able to stay."

Residents in the southwest portion of the town that was impacted by the fire may not have functioning utilities.

Stone Mountain Village in Jasper, Alta. on July 27, 2024. (Source: Parks Canada)

"Gas is not readily available in that section. There is water in some areas, but it is not potable. Some properties may not have water at all. So residents can go and see their homes and assess it for themselves."

When asked why residents are being allowed to return to properties that may not be livable from an amenities perspective, Nadon called the re-entry "voluntary."

"The definition of habitable conditions is up for the resident to make. What we're saying is that there is no risk to public safety for them to return to their residences. Whether the level of services that is available to them works for them is a different story," she said.

"If you don't have water and if you don't have gas for three or more weeks, you may make your own decision about whether you want to live there or not for the time being."

The timeline to restore utilities to 100 per cent is still being determined.

Crews replace power poles in the town of Jasper on Aug. 2, 2024 after wildfire ravaged the community. (Source: Municipality of Jasper)

"Water lines is a municipal service, so our crews are working on that and getting external help, and Atco Gas has been doing a fantastic job trying to restore services. But as you can imagine, the system was heavily impacted.

"There's a lot of uncapped gas lines that they're working to fix. So that's what's going to take that three-plus weeks. It is an estimate at this time, but residents who still have home standing in the affected area should be ready for pretty significant service disruptions."

Nadon says residents with unaffected homes should contact their insurance broker before opening their refrigerators upon return.

"Before opening your fridge or moving your fridge or trying to restore anything, you need to get your insurance adjuster in your home to look at it and ensure that you will get the appropriate coverage. So the recommendation there is to not open fridges," she said.

"There will be a town wide process for getting rid of those appliances when the time comes."

Residents who know their homes have been lost are also encouraged to wait to go back to the townsite to ease traffic concerns.

Perimeter fencing going up on Patricia Street in Jasper, Alta. on July 31, 2024 after fire destroyed about 30 per cent of buildings in the town on July 24. (Source: Parks Canada)

"There are no resources for residents who may have lost their homes in Jasper at this time," Nadon warned.

"If you can and want to wait for Saturday or Sunday or later in the week. It might help with the amount of traffic that we'll see in town on Friday."

About one third of the structures in Jasper were destroyed in the July 24 wildfire.

A phone townhall will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday for residents to ask questions about the re-entry plan.

Visitors will also be allowed to access the townsite on Friday, but officials are asking anyone who doesn't live in the town to allow residents a chance to see their homes.

"It's highly unlikely that there'll be any accommodation available in Jasper starting Friday," Nadon said. "Our accommodation providers have been in town for a few days now to look at what it takes for them to get back online, and it's going to take some time. The bottom line is, there's really no amenities available for visitors right now."

She said the visitors aren't being barred from Jasper on Friday because it's too complicated to tell from an ID card who lives in Jasper and who does not.

"Most of our IDs show a PO box. So that doesn't really help to determine which area of town you live in," she said.

"Also, we have a large amount of staff that are in Jasper, and their permanent address is not in Jasper, so the logistics of that, as well as trying to keep people out, would have been quite complex."

Mayor Richard Ireland asked for privacy for residents.

"We will expect visitors to be respectful," he said.Our residents have seen what it might look like to have someone taking their photograph, or a video to be posted on social media of them confronting their new reality. They don't want that and no one should be clamouring for that."

Jasper Complex wildfire update 

The announcement comes after gains have been made on the frontline.

Those battling the fire say more than 89 per cent of the wildfire’s northwest perimeter is now classified as contained.

However the fire, which is approximately 33,000 hectares, is still considered out of control.

Maligne Lake Road (south of Maligne Canyon) in Jasper National Park on Aug. 7, 2024. (Source: Parks Canada)

Highway 16 to the town reopened to through traffic on Friday.

It closed briefly on Sunday as crews launched a controlled burn near it, but the road was set to open back up on Monday.

Stopping isn’t allowed on Highway right now, meaning there’s a long stretch between Hinton and Mount Robson where no services are available.

The Town of Jasper remains closed, with peace officers patrolling it to ensure people follow the rules.