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.

B次元官网网址淚t felt like a shell of home,B次元官网网址� the 25-year-old said in an interview Monday.

B次元官网网址淢y heart just sank. IB次元官网网址檓 used to my cats being in there to greet me but the streets were also pretty empty and it just didnB次元官网网址檛 feel like home.B次元官网网址�

Foubert was among dozens of residents roaming the town Monday on foot, in cars or on bikes. Some were out walking pets.

They were assessing the grey rubble left behind by a wildfire that destroyed a third of the town structures almost a month ago.

The wildfire is now being contained and residents of the picturesque Rocky Mountain town were allowed to return on Friday.

But officials said Monday tourists and visitors, except members of the media, wonB次元官网网址檛 be welcome for the foreseeable future.

B次元官网网址淭here are no hotels, there are no restaurants, there are no businesses open, and we do need the space to get our residents and our businesses back on their feet,B次元官网网址� said Christine Nadon, the municipalityB次元官网网址檚 incident commander, in Hinton, Alta., a town close to the national parkB次元官网网址檚 eastern boundary.

Nadon also said there would be a significant police presence in Jasper and officers on patrol will ask visitors to B次元官网网址渕ove on.B次元官网网址�

When asked, Nadon wouldnB次元官网网址檛 say if RCMP would arrest those who refused to leave.

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 wonB次元官网网址檛 be staying permanently as the future of her employment is uncertain.

She only returned to toss out her fridge, which had become a biohazard, and to help a friend pack belongings.

On Monday, she took photos of the destruction around her as she waited for her friend to finish her chores and leave town again. She said she felt disoriented walking around the community.

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.

B次元官网网址淚t feels like youB次元官网网址檙e part of an apocalypse or a war zone, she said.

B次元官网网址淭here was a lot of life that was being lived in Jasper and itB次元官网网址檚 just so empty and quiet. ItB次元官网网址檚 missing part of its soul.B次元官网网址�

She pointed to a series of concrete staircases next to her that once belonged to erect homes but now lead to nowhere.

Elsewhere, neighbours were seen chatting with one another amid the destruction. One person was seen slamming a hammer on the roof while another was seen cleaning out their garage.

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.

B次元官网网址淧eople respect that our community is suffering,B次元官网网址� Ireland said. B次元官网网址淚 do not think that we will be overwhelmed with voyeurism.B次元官网网址�

Both Ireland and Nadon said many businesses that cater to out-of-town visitors are still assessing damages and figuring out staffing plans before they can reopen.

B次元官网网址淭he visitor economy, unlike other industries, is so highly dependent on a labour force,B次元官网网址� Ireland said. B次元官网网址淚f we donB次元官网网址檛 first look after our residents who provide that labour force, the visitors will not be able to come back.B次元官网网址�

Among the people hoping tourism returns to normal soon is Kathrin Boehmer, a German who was working as a server in Jasper on a work permit.

She said Jasper has been a B次元官网网址済host townB次元官网网址� since she returned on Friday.

B次元官网网址淓verybody is going through difficult times right now,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淲hen you go to places where you had memories, theyB次元官网网址檙e just not there. ItB次元官网网址檚 sad.B次元官网网址�

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