The evacuation order the the Municipality of Jasper has been downgraded to an evacuation alert as of 7 a.m. Friday (Aug. 16).
This downgrade comes as residents begin re-entering the townsite after wildfire forced them to evacuate on July 22 and destroyed a third of the town.
Under the evacuation alert, residents should be prepared to evacuate Jasper within a one-hour notice.
The remainder of Jasper National Park outside of the townsite and the Highway 16 corridor is still closed to the public.
Parks Canada told Jasperites to expect lineups at the east gate to the park and east entrance to town.
It also cautioned that residents would be returning to “a very different Jasper.”
“Parks Canada wants you to know that while home looks different, Jasper National Park welcomes you whenever you are able to return,” the agency stated in a Thursday (Aug. 15) Facebook post.
“Jasper continues to be a place of great beauty, and we hope that the familiar mountains, waters and community of Jasper help in your healing. However this day shows up for you, we are here with you too.”
Crews have managed to contain 100 per cent of the northwest perimeter that had presented the most threat to the townsite.
Potential rain over the weekend is expected to help crews make progress in minimizing fire activity in other areas of the park.
Parks Canada also warned against recreational drone usage, which is currently prohibited in Jasper National Park and carries a $25,000 fine.
The Jasper wildfire complex remains classified as out of control and is estimated to be 33,048 hectares.
More than 600 people and 12 helicopters are working on the incident.
