People walk by the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Sask., as wildfire smoke blankets the city on Aug. 15.Heywood Yu/The Globe and Mail
Smoke from hundreds of forest fires burning in Western Canada blanketed the skies over most of the Prairies on Thursday, limiting visibility and prompting Environment Canada to issue a raft of air-quality advisories cautioning against outdoor activities.
The Calgary Stampeders football team said it was “monitoring air-quality conditions” ahead of the team’s evening home game against the Ottawa Redblacks. In Regina, where the air quality was poorer, the Saskatchewan Roughriders moved a morning practice indoors. And organizers of Sunday’s marathon in Edmonton said they would provide an update Friday.
There were more than 900 fires burning across the country Thursday, with British Columbia and Alberta accounting for the bulk of the blazes. Smoke from these fires, which include the inferno that forced roughly 25,000 to flee Jasper National Park last month, is hanging over the majority of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with forecasters expecting the dangerous haze to linger for days. Scientists say climate change is contributing to worsening fire conditions in North America and elsewhere.
“During heavy smoke conditions, everyone is at risk regardless of their age or health,” Environment Canada’s air-quality advisory said. The fine particles in wildfire smoke pose the main health risk, according to the agency.
“Limit time outdoors. Consider rescheduling or cancelling outdoor sports, activities and events.”
A person walks by the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Sask., as wildfire smoke blankets the city on Thursday, August 15, 2024.Heywood Yu/The Globe and Mail
Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina and Flin Flon were among the communities where the forecasted Air Quality Health Index topped out at 10+, the highest point on the scale. At that level, Environment Canada says children and seniors should avoid physical exertion outdoors, and people who are pregnant or have existing chronic health problems such as cancer, diabetes, heart or lung conditions, or mental illness, should avoid strenuous outdoor activities.
Further, officials recommend everyone else reduce or reschedule strenuous activity outdoors, especially if they are coughing or have an irritated throat.
Environment Canada issued air-quality warnings for most of the three Prairie provinces, along with a slice of the Northwest Territories, on Thursday. It also released air-quality statements for parts of Nunavut, B.C., Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
RCMP in Vermilion, near Alberta’s boundary with Saskatchewan, said a 36-year-old man was killed after rolling his truck Thursday morning. A mix of fog and smoke reduced visibility to zero, RCMP said.
A person cycles on Victoria Bridge by the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Sask., as wildfire smoke blankets the city on Thursday, August 15, 2024.Heywood Yu/The Globe and Mail
Meanwhile, residents in Jasper will be permitted to return to their mountain town Friday morning, after fire forced them to evacuate July 22. Fire flattened roughly 30 per cent of the town’s structures, with residential buildings bearing the brunt of the disaster. There are about 5,000 permanent residents in Jasper, which is home to another 5,000 seasonal employees.
The re-entry will be tightly controlled.
The Municipality of Jasper said people who lost their homes will have to book an appointment with disaster-response organization Team Rubicon Canada to sift through the rubble of their destroyed property with the group’s help. The team will first conduct safety assessments, and the search for belongings will start Aug. 23, at the earliest.
“For your safety, only trained professionals, like Team Rubicon Canada or insurance representatives, are permitted to go behind the fencing placed around damaged properties,” the Municipality of Jasper said online. “We appreciate your understanding during this difficult time, and we are very sorry for your loss.”
Utilities in Jasper have not been fully restored, although hospital emergency services will be available, according to the municipality. Non-residents will not be permitted to stop in town.
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Jasper said it relaxed local bylaws to allow recreational vehicles and trailers to park on some roads between Friday and Sept. 15, as residents work to make their homes livable again.
The wildfire in Jasper National Park had consumed roughly 33,048 hectares by Thursday evening, according to Parks Canada. It remains out of control, although 100 per cent of the northwest perimeter – the part of the fire that presents a risk to the townsite – has been contained.
The Canadian Red Cross will provide an additional $500 a household for registered evacuees whose primary residence is in Jasper, the province said in a statement Thursday. This is on top of the previously announced $750 payment from the organization.
Jasper is the only community in Alberta still under an evacuation order owing to wildfire. However, prior to the town and Jasper National Park being evacuated, 7,500 people had been ordered to leave the Little Red River Cree Nation’s communities of John D’Or Prairie, Fox Lake and Garden River; Chipewyan Lake; and Janvier 194 (Chipewyan Prairie First Nation).
Hundreds have also been evacuated from Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in Northern Saskatchewan this week, as a wildfire raged out of control nearby.