Jasper wildfire evacuees will find out on Monday when they can return home.
In an update on Saturday, Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland said wildfire officials will be giving specifics on the criteria needed for re-entry and a return date for evacuees.
“I am therefore thrilled today to be able to announce that thanks to the exceptionally dedicated and focused work of all those in the Incident Management Team, the criteria for re-entry continue to be achieved at an accelerating pace, enough so that on Monday members of Unified Command will announce the date and details of re-entry,” read Ireland’s update.
“My hope is that knowledge of the pending announcement will provide some measure of comfort to those so fraught with anxiety and the desire to know when they may be able to return home,” he added.
The announcement comes after gains have been made on the frontline.
Those battling the fire say more than 89 per cent of the wildfire’s northwest perimeter is now classified as contained.
However the fire, which is approximately 33,000 hectares, is still considered out of control.
Evacuees got the chance to see the damage to the Town of Jasper last week thanks to bus tours set up by the province.
People displaced will also get a chance to ask any questions at a telephone townhall Monday at 6:00 p.m.
The wildfire destroyed about one-third of the town’s buildings.
While fires are long out inside the town, crews in the townsite are still working to get essentials back online before re-entry.
Highway 16 to the town reopened to through traffic on Friday.
It closed briefly on Sunday as crews launched a controlled burn near it, but the road was set to open back up on Monday.
Stopping isn’t allowed on Highway right now, meaning there’s a long stretch between Hinton and Mount Robson where no services are available.
The Town of Jasper remains closed at the moment, with peace officers patrolling it to ensure people follow the rules.