JASPER, ALTA. — When Alice Foubert entered her home in Jasper, Alta., for the first time since a wildfire roared into the community, the rancid smell from her fridge made it difficult for her to recognize where she was.
"My heart just sank. I'm used to my cats being in there to greet me but the streets were also pretty empty and it just didn't feel like home."
The wildfire is now being contained and residents of the picturesque Rocky Mountain town were allowed to return on Friday. Nadon also said there would be a significant police presence in Jasper and officers on patrol will ask visitors to"move on."Foubert, who moved to Jasper first as a seasonal worker a couple of summers ago, said she was among 500 Jasperites who returned to their homes over the weekend, but she won't be staying permanently as the future of her employment is uncertain.
Several places that she once visited, including her favourite coffee shop and thrift store, have been reduced to ashes, making it difficult, she said, to map out the streets of the community."There was a lot of life that was being lived in Jasper and it's just so empty and quiet. It's missing part of its soul."
Fences surrounded areas across town that had been destroyed, including the home of Mayor Richard Ireland. Ireland said he expects people to understand that now is not an appropriate time for tourists to visit.
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