More than three weeks after a wildfire forced them to flee, Jasperites will soon be able to return to their beloved town. But there is anxiety among the few who found refuge in the neighbouring town of Hinton, about 45 minutes east of Jasper.
"It’s hard to anticipate how you’re going to feel when you get there," said long-time Jasper resident, Phil Walker. "You don’t know exactly what you’re walking into."
Walker and his roommate Brad Mah are planning to make their way into town Friday, after the gates to Jasper National Park open at 7 a.m. Their apartment is still standing, but they aren’t quite sure it is habitable.
"There could be some smoke damage on the outside and stuff like that and the apartment complex will probably have to be cleaned," said Mah.
"We won’t know until we actually get there tomorrow. We plan to stay for the day and assess the situation and go from there."
Only the 5,000 Jasper residents will be able to into the town. Jonathan Large, incident commander with Parks Canada, says visitors and media are not permitted for the time being to let residents have privacy.
"We want to give residents the space they need to go and process what they’ve seen and begin the healing process," he said.
A third of the town – mostly homes and businesses – was destroyed by the wildfire last month and $283 million worth of property was destroyed.
Fire crews work to put out hotspots in the Maligne Lodge in Jasper, Alta., on Friday July 26, 2024. (Amber Bracken / The Canadian Press)
The wildfire is still burning out of control and while not a threat to the town, residents can expect to see smoke in the air, including other chemicals from metal and plastics from burnt structures that could give off an acidic smell.
"Maybe people with compromised breathing like asthma or something like that might want to avoid it or might want to just take extra precautions wearing the appropriate mask," said Large.
Katrina Turcot, who co-owns Jasper Raft Tours, says her home is still standing, but the business is destroyed. She and her husband are holding off their return to Jasper until next week.
"I don't feel comfortable bringing my kids back right now," said Turcot.
"Our house is standing, but I don't know if we have water, power or gas right now. And we don’t have a fridge, so there’s no point in bringing them back."
Parks Canada says the first phase is to get residents safely back in the community.
"The next phases are going to go beyond the next week, the next month and into the next year. And that’s going to be the rebuilding phase," said Large.
John Wilmshurst is grateful his home is still standing and he is ready to help wherever he can.
"We can host the residents who have lost their places for a time if they need that bridging opportunity," said Wilmshurst.
At this point, there is no word on when visitors can come back to Jasper, a town that relies heavily on tourism. Mah says he believes the town will get back up on its feet, but concerned with how long it will take.
"We're an economy-based tourist town, so without tourists we don't have any economy, you know?" he said.
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