A Canadian parks official said that one of the wildfires that destroyed hundreds of buildings in Jasper, Alberta, and continues to burn out of control in the national park, could remain active for several months to come.

Landon Shepherd, the incident commander at the federal agency, said during a press conference Saturday afternoon in nearby Hinton, Alberta: "This fire is the largest recorded in Jasper National Park in the past hundred years."

Shepherd added: "We will be working on this fire, as we expect, for at least the next three months. What the last five years have taught us is that the fire season in Jasper tends to continue into the fall."

Shepherd explained that the area received about 12 mm of rain over the course of a day and a half, and while that was good, there are still active hot spots near the community. He mentioned that firefighting activity has started to pick up again, albeit not to the same extent as last week.

Warmer weather is expected in the coming days.

Evacuation orders were issued for more than 20,000 people in the town and surrounding areas, located in the Rocky Mountains about 350 kilometers west of Edmonton, late Monday night due to rapidly spreading wildfires.

Canadian parks authorities estimated that nearly a third of the town's structures were damaged by the wildfires, with 358 out of 1,113 buildings destroyed.

The municipality of Jasper issued an updated map and list of damaged or destroyed properties on Saturday afternoon.

In an online update, the Canadian Parks Service reported that firefighting efforts were progressing well in the Jasper townsite, and they anticipated extinguishing all remaining fires there by Saturday.

The Canadian Parks Service stated that spray systems to protect structures are being moved from previously burned areas to the perimeter of active fires near the community and outer structures – to protect these areas. This includes the installation of additional spray systems to protect structures in Edith Lake and businesses north of the town of Jasper.

Bulldozers are preparing to establish protective lines around the northern edge of the community and to help limit the spread of fires to the west of the community on the lower slopes of Whistler Mountain.

Support from Ontario, Quebec, Australia, and South Africa is expected to arrive on Sunday.

The federal agency mentioned that power is being restored to parts of the downtown and vital infrastructure, which they said will help accelerate further damage assessment and recovery.

Earlier on Saturday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told her provincial radio show that she wanted to organize bus tours for evacuated Jasper residents so they could see the damage the wildfires inflicted on their town for themselves, so they would know what to expect when they are eventually allowed to return home.

The Premier informed listeners that she expects it will take about 28 days before Jasper residents can return to their town, noting it took a similar amount of time before Fort McMurray, Alta., residents received the green light to return home after it was hit by a fierce fire in 2016.

While Smith said after her tour of the town on Friday that the vital infrastructure remained intact, including schools, the hospital, and water treatment services, she said on Saturday that staff needed to enter the hospital to check for damage as there were reports of the roof catching fire.

Smith mentioned that rebuilding plans are taking shape with assistance from the federal government, as the town is part of Jasper National Park.

The Premier added, "We have already started a working group on how recovery will happen, in an effort to determine when people will be able to return to their community, and I am very optimistic that it will come back better than ever."

Smith also expressed her desire to arrange temporary housing for residents so they can live in the town while they rebuild their homes, noting that temporary housing was also used during the rebuilding of High River, Alta., after it suffered devastating floods in 2013.

Smith told her radio audience, indicating that nearby Hinton may be relied upon for construction workers.

Officials in the province's wildfire response stated that an estimated 17,100 Alberta residents have been evacuated due to wildfires as of Saturday.

The province reported that there are 157 active fires across Alberta, with 44 fires classified as out of control, 45 fires under control, and 68 fires being monitored.