The Municipality of Jasper is no longer under an evacuation alert as of Saturday afternoon (Aug. 17), a day after the evacuation order was lifted.
The evacuation order had required residents to leave, whereas the alert had required them to be prepared to evacuate within one-hour notice.
The Jasper Wildfire Complex is also no longer considered out of control and is now classified as “being held.”
“This means the fire is not expected to spread in any priority areas based on current and expected weather and resourcing,” Parks Canada stated.
Low clouds and rain kept helicopters on the ground that morning, but they were able to carry out bucketing by the afternoon.
Two millimetres of rain fell in Jasper over the previous 24 hours, according to Parks Canada’s update, with variable amounts falling across the wildfire including 10 mm on the south end.
Firefighters have searched for any remaining hot spots section by section from the contained perimeter into the centre of the wildfire, and the ignition at the air strip has been fully extinguished.
Equipment continues to be released, with crews removing sprinklers, hoses and other equipment from around town.
Parks Canada added that ignition specialists and some helicopters, including the Black Hawk, are no longer required.
These developments come as Jasper residents begin returning to town, with over 500 residents visiting the Re-entry Support Centre on Friday (Aug. 16) and another 300 visiting the day after.
Miette Hot Springs and the Columbia Icefields have also reopened, but the rest of Jasper National Park remains closed.
Highway 16 is open only from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and non-residents are not allowed to stop within the national park and will be turned around if they attempt to enter the townsite.
