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

Travelling from the east and west, people forced from their homes by a monster wildfire will return to Jasper today to begin sifting through the ashes of their devastated community.

Residents of the historic townsite in Jasper National Park will travel back to a community unrecognizable from the one they left behind nearly four weeks ago.

A procession of vehicles is expected to flood Highway 16, the sole route currently open to the townsite. Early Friday, a line of vehicles stretched across along the highway at the park's eastern gates, as returning evacuees waited for re-entry to begin. 

Residents have been warned to brace for a harsh new reality.

A third of the townsite has been reduced to rubble. Services remain scant. The rebuild is expected to take years. 

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.

Only residents and support people who are helping them deal the disaster will be granted to the townsite. All areas outside the town remain closed, including Highway 93 to the south.

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

Mayor Richard Ireland said residents are concerned about visitors intruding on their privacy as they survey the damage to their homes and businesses.

He urged outsiders and reporters to keep a respectful distance as the community confronts their losses firsthand. 

"Residents will need time and the space to confront their grief privately," Ireland said Wednesday.

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.