It was an emotional day for many on Friday, as Jasper residents returned to the townsite for the first time since a wildfire tore through the Alberta mountain town last month.
Vehicles were lined up along Highway 16 early Friday morning ahead of the roadway opening at 7 a.m.
Sviatoslav Rud arrived at 6 a.m. to wait to enter the town to assess his home along Connaught Drive on the west end of town.
“We missed our house and we want to check our house,” Rud said before driving into town.
Rud’s house and some neighbouring homes near him are still standing, but other homes directly next to his property were burned down.
“Everything behind us completely burned,” he said in a video he took inside town and provided to Global News. Media was not allowed access to Jasper on Friday, as the re-entry is for residents only.
“The neighbours beside me and behind me burned.”
The video shows the Petro-Canada gas station across the street burned to the ground.
Rud said the inside of his home sustained some damage and some exterior siding was damaged by the heat of the flames. He said there is some cleanup to do at the property and then he will contact the insurance company.
“We want to still stay here,” Rud explained, adding he moved to Jasper about two years ago after fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Jasper National Park was evacuated on July 22, two days before the wildfire entered the townsite.
Officials have estimated about a third of the town’s buildings were destroyed or damaged by fire. Critical infrastructure like the water treatment plant was saved.
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While bus tours have been taking some residents into the town to assess the damage, Friday is the first time people are allowed in on their own to see first hand what their properties look like.
The highway closes at 9 p.m. and people will not be able to enter the town after that until Saturday morning.
Not all residents will be able to stay overnight as utilities have not been hooked up to the entire townsite.
Officials have warned the re-entry could bring up a number of emotions for residents, adding that the pictures seen so far from inside the town likely won’t prepare them for what they are going to see first hand. They also said the smell of smoke in the town may be overwhelming.
Jasper National Park said residents should watch out for wildlife that has moved into town, including bears looking for food.
Re-entry is for residents only at this time.
Residents and business owners coming from east of Jasper must stop at the east gate and receive a resident re-entry guide, then proceed to the east entrance of town.
Residents and business owners coming from west of Jasper should travel past the west gate and go directly to the east entrance of town to receive their resident re-entry guide.
People are asked to show their Parks Canada-issued resident parking passes or self-declare at the gate to get their re-entry guide.
RCMP will be stationed at the east entry to check that residents have their re-entry guide.
The wildfire remains classified as out of control at about 33,048 hectares.
The evacuation order that was issued for the town on July 22 has been downgraded to an evacuation alert. This means that residents should still be prepared to leave if the wildfire situation changes.
For the latest information on which areas in Alberta are under an evacuation alert or order due to a wildfire, visit the Alberta Emergency Alert website.
For the latest information on the wildfire status and danger across the province, visit the Alberta Wildfire website.
The latest information on fire advisories, restrictions and bans across the province can be found on the Alberta fire bans website.