Anxiety, relief as Jasper residents prepare for return to wildfire-ravaged mountain town [Video]

Thousands of people forced from their homes in the heart of Jasper National Park are preparing for a homecoming that will signal the beginning of a daunting effort to rebuild what was lost to the flames.

More than 5,000 residents forced to evacuate the community of Jasper last month have been invited to return for the first time on Friday. It’s unclear how many will be coming back to stay.  

Monday’s announcement of a re-entry plan came with a warning that a return to Jasper may not be possible or prudent for everyone.

Officials have cautioned that while the community is considered safe, many Jasperites will be coming home to inhospitable conditions due to the extent of the damage.

One-third of all the buildings in the townsite were destroyed and early estimates by the municipality suggest homes and businesses valued at a total of $283 million were destroyed.

‘So many uncertainties’

Clara Adriano, …