Details about the re-entry in Jasper will be shared with residents on Monday

Firefighters in Jasper, Alta., are making significant progress against a wildfire that has destroyed nearly 30 percent of the city. Thanks to those efforts, Jasper’s mayor says, residents will be told Monday when they can return home.

“The re-entry criteria are being met at an accelerating pace. Returning residents safely to their homes remains an overarching goal of the incident management team,” said Mayor Richard Ireland.

At a press conference on Saturday morning, Ireland said exact details on times and dates have not yet been finalized, but that information will be shared by members of the joint command on Monday.

“I hope that knowing about the upcoming announcement will provide a bridge and some measure of comfort to those who are so full of fear and anxious to know when they can return home. On Monday, they will know,” Ireland said.

Although the wildfire is still considered out of control, the northern edge of the fire, which poses a risk to the city, is now 80 percent contained. The wildfire is currently about 33,000 hectares in size.

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Parks Canada reports that crews are working to remove hazards and reconnect utilities throughout Jasper.

“We’re moving away from the reactive measures and being able to move into more proactive measures and strengthen some of those strands,” said Jonathan Large, incident commander with Parks Canada.

“Sometimes we can go in and remove some of the vegetation that has grown. A lot of those actions are happening right now in tandem with the suppression efforts that we’re doing. I think the city is in very good shape.”

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Portions of Highway 16 and Highway 93 reopen through Jasper National Park

There is still a lot of uncertainty about what the coming months will look like in Jasper.

The Grande Yellowhead Public School Division (GYPSD) is already informing families about the upcoming school year, as many of its students live across the province.

“Children who are displaced by wildfires can go to any school in Alberta, they can enroll in any school in Alberta. If the school has the resources and the space, they will take the kids,” said Dale Karpluk, chair of the GYPSD board of directors. “It’s tough on kids. Schools are that welcoming, safe place that we want kids to be.”

Karpluk says schools in Edson and Hinton are preparing to welcome children from Jasper, but it will also be tough for teachers when they return to the classroom in the fall.

“About 40 percent of our staff lost their homes. The principal of the elementary school tells me that five of his staff members lost their homes. I spoke to the principal of the high school and out of 12 teachers, seven lost their (homes),” Karpluk said.

“There may be fewer students to start with, but I know there are staff members in Jasper who have not lost their homes and who are ready to take on the challenge.”

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