The mayor of Jasper, Alberta, said people evacuated by wildfires will learn Monday when they will be allowed to return home.
Richard Ireland said in an online news conference Saturday that details about the exact time of the announcement had not been finalized, but that members of the unified command would announce Monday when residents would be allowed to return to the city.
About 20,000 visitors to Jasper National Park and 5,000 town residents were forced to evacuate last month due to wildfires, and the flames destroyed a third of the town’s buildings.
Mr Ireland said at the news conference that he hoped sharing the timing of the announcement would “provide a bridge and some measure of comfort to those who are anxious”.
He said thanks to the dedicated work of the fire incident management team, plans to safely re-enter the city are moving faster than expected.
A Parks Canada official said at the news conference that while the fire in the park is still out of control, cooler weather and some rain have allowed crews to make great progress in minimizing the growth of the fires.