Jasper residents return to wildfire-ravaged townsite as re-entry begins

People forced from their homes by a monster wildfirehave begun returning to Jasper, Alta., to siftthrough the ashes of their devastated community.

Before the town opened to residentsFriday, a line of headlights flashed against the darknessas returning evacuees waited for re-entry to begin.

As the sun began to peek over the Rockies, Highway 16opened and a procession of trucks and vehicles began snaking their way through Jasper National Parktoward the wildfire-ravaged community.

A Canadian flag flapped along the highway from abright red fire truck with ladder extended. "Welcome Back" was written on a banner at the RCMP checkpoint.

Clouds filled the sky and smoke hung heavy in the air.Those driving in from the east saw swaths of charred forests, trees burned black like used matches.

Residents have been warned to brace for a harsh new reality.Residents of the historic national park townsitewill travel back to a community unrecognizable from the one they left behind nearly four weeks ago.

WATCH |An aerial view of Jasper after the fire:

Parks Canada releases drone footage of Jasper townsite as residents return

1 month 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.

In all, 358 of Jasper's 1,113 buildings were lost to the fire that ripped through the town on the evening of July 24, less than 48 hours after a mass evacuation was called, ordering 25,000 residents and visitors to flee the townsite and national park.

Entire neighbourhoods on the southern side of town were destroyed.

Services remain scant. The rebuild is expected to take years.

Mike Kertesz, a Jasper residentof 30 years, lined up along the highway hours before the gates opened Friday morning, anxious to return home.

Despite seeing images of the wildfire damage, he expects it will be a shock to see the destruction firsthand.

"This is our community,"Kertesz said in an interview from the shoulder of the highway before the gates opened.

"This is where we raised our kids and it's going to look a lot different."

Kertesz will be checking on his own home and two others belonging to his relatives.He saidhe will be focusedon checking for any smoke, water, or sewage damage and riddingthe homes of spoiled fridges and freezers.

He said he's been losing sleep thinking about thehard work ahead as recovery begins.

Kerteszdescribes himself as one of the fortunate ones. His family home on the east side of the townsite is still standing.

He's thankful to firefighters for saving what they could and grateful thathe's in a position to help hisneighbours whose homes were destroyed.

"There's a lot of people in this town who have completely lost everything," he said. "And so, we're ready to come back andget our lives together, but also, to help the whole community."

Only residents andsupport people who are helping them deal the disaster will be granted access to the townsite. All areas outside the townremain closed, including Highway 93 to the south.

RCMP officers have been tasked with patrolling the town's east entrance and turning outsiders away.

A difficult homecoming

Residents are being advised to approach their damaged properties with caution and to prepare for the shock of seeing the damage.

Officials have cautioned of the risks of returning to the devastation zone, from toxic waste, unstable structures and smoke so dense returning evacuees have been advised to wear N95 masks.

"The photos you have seen will not prepare you for the smell," the municipality cautioned in a statement to evacuees.

"The state of Jasper is very different now. The process of returning may be intense."

WATCH | Jasper resident returns toher destroyed business:

'The burnt smell is in the air,' returning Jasper resident says

1 month ago

Duration 7:53

Clara Adriano, who lost her commercial laundry business to the Jasper, Alta., wildfire, was surveying the damage Friday as resident re-entry began. Her home survived, and she plans to rebuild the business eventually. For today, she said, its about assessing the damage and reconnecting with neighbours who have lost so much.

Clara Adriano, who has operated a commercial laundry in the community since 2017, was among the first flood of evacuees to return on Friday.

Her home survived but her business was destroyed. The beige, two-storey building with rust-coloured roof has been reduced to rubble a field of black, skeletal wreckage, encircled in blue safety fencing.

Adriano said she felt unprepared for the shock of seeing the charred remnants of the property, and entire neighbourhoods incinerated.

Wearing an N95 mask to shield herself against the rancid smells, she struggled to grasp the scale of the damage.

"As you enter into the town and see the fire residue, and everything around it, that is when it becomes emotional," she said in an interview.

"And then, as I entered here, in the industrial area, and seeing our laundry and allplaces surrounding it,just gone.,that's a really emotional feeling. I'm sure it is going to be, for many Jasperites who are returning, especially those who lost their homes."

Adriano said she wants to rebuild and looks forward to reuniting with neighbours after spending so many weeks scattered across western provinces.

"This is home," she said. "And I know for a fact that we will come out stronger, together. That's the only way to move forward."

Evacuees who lost their homes are being urged to use their first hours and days in Jasper to assess their losses and carefully document the damage.

Officials have cautioned that no one should count on spending the night.

Many properties still standing have sustained significant damage from smoke, heat, and water from burst pipes and efforts to douse the flames.

There are no accommodations in place for those whose homes were lost and services, including running water, remain spotty.

WATCH | Residents survey the damage in Jasper:

Jasper residents will be allowed back in but years-long recovery is expected

1 month ago

Duration 0:55

Residents of Jasper, Alta., will be allowed to return to the town on Friday, marking what officials say will be the start of a long recovery process from the wildfire.

The wildfire that destroyed one-third of the buildings in Jasper moved in from the south, spitting embers and shooting flames hundreds of metres into the sky.

Wind-whipped and fuelled by bone-dry conditions, it defied all firefighting efforts and crossed into the townsite, lighting up homes and businesses in sheets of orange.

The fire eventually merged with another blaze that had been menacing from the north and has now consumed more than 33,000 hectares.

'Acommunal loss'

Matricia Bauersaid she has been forcing herself to look at photos and footage of the destruction to help her brace herself for what she will see.

She will return to Jasper early Friday morning but onlyplans to stay for a few hours to assess the damage.

Her condo survived but properties surrounding her home on the western edge of the townsite have been gutted.She expects her home sustained significantsmoke damage.

"We were pretty close to the fire," Bauer said. "It came right up, all around us."

Bauerhails, from Sturgeon Lake Cree First Nation acommunity devastated by firelast summer, but has lived in Jasper for more than a decade.She operatesWarrior Women, anIndigenous tourism guide operation that showcases the region's Indigenous culture.

She said it will take time for thecommunity to heal.

"There's a little bit of survivor guilt that my place is still standing, but I also don't know what I'm walking into," she said. "My heart breaks every time I learn of somebody whose place has burned down.

"It's not just my loss, it's a communal loss."

The wildfire continues to burn within the national park. A state of emergency and an evacuation alert will remain in effect, and residents must be prepared to leave at a moment's notice.

Re-entry to Jasper was made possible by critical progress made on the fire line. The fire's northern perimeter, which poses the biggest threat to the community, has been contained.

The flames, however, are expected to remain a volatile presence within the park for months.

Crews expect to be fighting the fire until late in the fall and plumes of smoke will continue to billow over the skyline, long after residents return.

Mayor Richard Ireland said seeing fire on the landscape will be part of a difficult "new normal" for Jasper residents.

"Photographs and images on television cannot convey the sense of loss that will be felt in the hearts of residents when they see their homes and their town again," he said.