EDMONTON — Parks Canada says it realizes wildfire evacuees from Jasper worry about what rotting food will do to their homes and that others wonder when a critical highway through the national park will reopen, but it says the blaze continues to burn
out of control and remains a threat to the town.
"Rotting food in fridges and freezers without power can unfortunately result in contamination to homes. We’re aware of this, and are working to restore power to as much of the townsite as possible in order to minimize this risk," Parks Canada said in the statement, released on Sunday. "We know that many people were forced to leave their belongings, trailers or campers behind in the campgrounds during the evacuation. Doing so was critical in the successful evacuation of Jasper National Park," the statement said.
Parks Canada has estimated 30 per cent of Jasper township's structures were damaged, and a map of the town indicating which properties suffered damage was released on Saturday afternoon. Jasper National Park remains closed and RCMP are ensuring the town is secure, Parks Canada said, noting there are checkpoints to keep people out.
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