Work continues in Jasper to restore essential utilities and remove hazards to prepare for an eventual staged re-entry.
In a Saturday (Aug. 3) update, Parks Canada reported that emergency services such as fire, EMS, police and 911 dispatch have been restored to the townsite and outlying areas.
Crews are still working to restore electricity, gas and telecommunications.
Parks Canada is also planning for the most essential in-town critical services and critical retail to visit their sites Monday (Aug. 5) for an initial damage assessment.
Critical retail includes gas stations, grocery stores and pharmacies.
On Friday (Aug. 2), the hot and dry weather helped increase fire behaviour, with the activity picking up around Edith and Annette lakes and on Pyramid Bench.
Fire crews and helicopter bucketing quickly suppressed this activity.
No damage occurred to structures, with structure protection such as the 12-inch-high volume system protecting the townsite and outlying accommodations during the peak burning.
Crews engaged in ignition operations to protect Kerkeslin Campground south of town and prevent the fire from spreading into the adjacent valley.
Fire activity was most intense in the Maligne Valley where crews have not been working.
Parks Canada said Saturday was forecasted to have similar fire conditions, and crews would continue to focus on protecting the townsite, outlying accommodations and critical infrastructure.
Highway 16 is open to commercial traffic only and during specific time intervals. Visit 511 Alberta for details.
Parks Canada warned the highway would be closed on Friday due to extreme fire activity, but the highway reopened at 8 p.m. as scheduled since crews and bucketing operations were able to suppress roadside fire activity.
Jasper residents can register for a bus tour of the townsite, with priority access given to those who have lost their homes.
Outreach workers from the municipality’s Community Outreach Services will be at the Valemount Community Hall to support evacuees until Aug. 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. No appointment is necessary.
Visitors who left behind important documents or medications can contact Jasper Bylaw at [email protected] to coordinate their retrieval.
