Alberta Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis said the government has opened a registration portal at alberta.ca/emergency for Jasperites looking to see the wildfire damage.Once people have registered, Ellis said the Alberta government will contact them with more details. “For now, the tours will be limited to people whose homes have been lost or damaged, and we will have to keep everyone on the bus when inside the national park,” said Ellis at a Friday press conference. “And those tours will only proceed at the direction of the incident command team in Jasper when conditions allow.” While all Jasperites are eager to see the damage to the town, he said they are prioritizing tours for those most affected when it is safe to do so. He added they are working towards tours for all Jasperites, but they must occur for those under controlled circumstances with limited numbers for several reasons. These reasons are there remains an active wildfire in Jasper National Park, the destroyed properties are filled with unsafe debris and hazardous materials, and the Alberta government cannot guarantee there are no smouldering embers at some sites. He said there are many considerations for a large scale operation such as this. It will have to determine the best, most feasible locations for staging tours, ensure it has enough available transportation from pickup and dropoff points, find staging areas with enough parking, and provide food and water to evacuees. If buses run into unforeseen conditions, it will have contingency plans. He said he understands those who lost their homes are going through a difficult time. He pointed out the first step in the rebuilding process is being able to go back to communities and survey the damage. That is why the Alberta government made these tours a top priority. While it is sympathetic to the frustration of people wanting more details, he said it is a priority for them and is working to get the plans together as soon as possible. Ellis concluded by thanking the firefighters battling the wildfires in Jasper and across Alberta. He said the work they do is important. Alberta Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen said high winds and warm, dry weather are leading to increased wildfire activity on all wildfires, presenting operational challenges. “There has also been some growth on the Jasper wildfire to the south, but crews were able to limit the spread with support of aerial helicopter bucketing, fuel brakes constructed by heavy equipment, and carefully-planned controlled burns,” said Loewen. “Firefighters and support staff continue to work night and day to suppress these fires and will keep at it until the job is done.” Loewen said recent rain in parts of northern Alberta has lowered wildfire danger in it. However, he confirmed the risk of wildfires in southern Alberta remains high. Alberta Wildfire Information Unit Manager Christie Tucker said there are 115 wildfires burning in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta (FPAA). “Eighteen of those are out of control, 41 are being held, and 55 are under control,” said Tucker. “Wildfire danger remains extreme in the southern parts of the province as the minister said.” A fire ban remains in effect in the FPAA south of the Pembina River because of the extreme wildfire danger. She called for people to remember the fire ban if they plan on being out and about in that area this weekend. Ellis followed up by saying the registration process is about taking in information. “It’s really the signup,” he said. “They’re going to be gathering that information and then this is going to assist with the scheduling of the tours themselves.” Alberta Emergency Management Agency Deputy Managing Director Joe Zatylny confirmed on Thursday Hwy. 16 through Jasper National Park has started to reopen after the wildfire shut it down. READ MORE: Alberta emergencies official outlines plans for Hwy. 16 reopening after Jasper wildfireHowever, Zatylny said commercial vehicles and select traffic can drive on Hwy. 16 dependent on fire behaviour and operational needs. “Traffic is limited to trucks, tractors, or tractor trailers with a registered gross vehicle weight exceeding 11,794 kilograms,” said Zatylny.
