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.

鈥淚t felt like a shell of home,鈥� the 25-year-old said in an interview Monday.

鈥淢y heart just sank. I鈥檓 used to my cats being in there to greet me but the streets were also pretty empty and it just didn鈥檛 feel like home.鈥�

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, won鈥檛 be welcome for the foreseeable future.

鈥淭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,鈥� said Christine Nadon, the municipality鈥檚 incident commander, in Hinton, Alta., a town close to the national park鈥檚 eastern boundary.

Nadon also said there would be a significant police presence in Jasper and officers on patrol will ask visitors to 鈥渕ove on.鈥�

When asked, Nadon wouldn鈥檛 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 won鈥檛 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.

鈥淚t feels like you鈥檙e part of an apocalypse or a war zone, she said.

鈥淭here was a lot of life that was being lived in Jasper and it鈥檚 just so empty and quiet. It鈥檚 missing part of its soul.鈥�

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.

鈥淧eople respect that our community is suffering,鈥� Ireland said. 鈥淚 do not think that we will be overwhelmed with voyeurism.鈥�

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.

鈥淭he visitor economy, unlike other industries, is so highly dependent on a labour force,鈥� Ireland said. 鈥淚f we don鈥檛 first look after our residents who provide that labour force, the visitors will not be able to come back.鈥�

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 鈥済host town鈥� since she returned on Friday.

鈥淓verybody is going through difficult times right now,鈥� she said.

鈥淲hen you go to places where you had memories, they鈥檙e just not there. It鈥檚 sad.鈥�

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