Officials to provide update on Jasper re-entry, days after wildfire evacuation ends

August 19, 2024 Canuck

RCMP checkpoints at the entrance to the Jasper townsite have been removed, but visitors are still being told to keep their distance from the wildfire-ravaged community.

In a statement to social media Monday, the municipality announced that traffic checkpoints near the townsite would be dismantled at the request of residents with damaged or destroyed properties who are now navigating the insurance claims process.

“We heard from residents that they need support teams to assess their property and take steps towards recovery,” the municipality said.

“We are removing traffic checkpoints into the town of Jasper to make this process possible.”

RCMP officers will continue to patrol the community where services remain scant and a local state of emergency remains in effect four weeks after a wildfire moved in, triggering a mass evacuation and ultimately destroying a third of the structures in the historic townsite.

“The town of Jasper is not ready to welcome visitors,” the statement says. “Services such as fuel, food and restrooms are for residents, local businesses and responders.”

WATCH | A view from above as Jasper as evacuation orders lift in Jasper:

Parks Canada releases drone footage of Jasper townsite as residents return

3 days ago

Duration 1:47

Parks Canada has released drone footage of the fire damage to the Jasper, Alta., townsite as residents are preparing to return. About 30 per cent of all buildings in the townsite were destroyed by the wildfire last month. Residents are advised to use caution when entering their properties and be prepared for another evacuation if necessary.

Additional security has been brought in to help patrol destroyed homes and businesses.

Parks Canada and municipal officials will provide updates at a news conference later Monday in nearby Hinton.

Officials with Parks Canada, the Canadian Red Cross and the Municipality of Jasper are expected to speak at the news conference at 10 a.m. MT. You can watch it here live.

An evacuation alert for the town was lifted on Sunday as Parks Canada officials announced that the status of the wildfire that devastated the community was no longer burning out of control.

The fire, which now spans 33,000 hectares, is now classified as being held, meaning that it’s not expected to spread beyond its current perimeter.

It was welcome news for the town’s 5,000 residents, many of whom took their first steps through the wreckage over the weekend.

Friday was the first day residents were allowed back but under the caution that basic services remain extremely limited. Hundreds have returned during the first days of re-entry, at least temporarily, to assess the damage.

An estimated $283 million in property value was wiped out in the fire. Entire neighbourhoods were incinerated when the fire moved in on July 24, with a wall of flames hundreds of metres high, fuelled by powerful winds and parched conditions.

Jasper wildfire update for August 19

Live in

1 hour

Unified Incident Command will hold an in-person media briefing to provide an update regarding the re-entry into the town of Jasper.

As of Sunday, more than 800 people have visited the municipality’s re-entry support centre at Commemoration Park.

More than 350 appliances had been picked up around town and ATCO has completed 521 gas re-lights, restoring service to approximately 48 per cent of properties.

A handful of neighbourhoods remain without water. Three potable water bins have been set up in town for residents to use for drinking water and cooking, the municipality said.

“Even amidst the profound grief and staggering loss experienced by so many, the community’s familiar pulse is unmistakable. Neighbours and friends, who had been apart for weeks, are reuniting with heartfelt embraces and teary smiles,” a post on the town’s Facebook page said on Saturday.

Jasper National Park remains closed, although Parks Canada said Sunday that Miette Hot Springs, a popular attraction in Jasper, has reopened to the public.

It’s unclear when the park will fully reopen.

View original article here Source