Officials announced today, Monday, that residents of Jasper will be able to return to their homes on Friday, August 16.

Displaced residents from the wildfires in Jasper will learn on Monday the date of their return home.

In an update on Saturday, Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland stated that wildfire officials will provide details regarding the necessary re-entry criteria and the date for the return of evacuated individuals.

Therefore, I am pleased to announce today that, thanks to the diligent and focused work of all members of the incident management team, the re-entry criteria continue to be met at an accelerated pace, enough for the unified leadership to announce on Monday the date and details of re-entry," as noted in Ireland's update.

He added: "I hope that knowing the pending announcement brings some comfort to those experiencing anxiety and a desire to know when they may return home."

This announcement comes after gains on the front lines.

Those fighting the fires report that more than 89 percent of the surrounding area of the Northwest wildfires is now classified as contained.

However, the fire, which covers approximately 33,000 hectares, is still considered out of control.

Displaced individuals had the opportunity to see the damage to the town of Jasper last week thanks to bus tours organized by the province.

They will also have the chance to ask any questions at the town hall on Monday at 6:00 PM.

The wildfire destroyed about a third of the town's buildings.

While the fires have long been out of control within the town, crews on-site are still working to restore essentials before re-entry.

Highway 16 leading to the town was reopened to traffic on Friday.

It was briefly closed on Sunday as crews set a controlled burn nearby, but the road was scheduled to reopen on Monday.

Stopping on the highway is now prohibited, meaning there is a long stretch between Hinton and Mount Robson where no services are available.

The town of Jasper remains closed at this time, with peace officers patrolling to ensure that people are following the rules.