A devastated residential block in Jasper, Alta., Canada is shown during a tour on Friday, July 26, 2024.Amber Bracken/Reuters
The fire that ripped through Jasper National Park has consumed roughly 32,000 hectares, making it the largest blaze in the Rocky Mountain playground in more than a century, according to Parks Canada.
Landon Shepherd, the deputy incident commander on the wildland fire, on Saturday said he expects crews to be working on this forest fire for at least the next three months. Jasper’s fire season, he noted, now lasts well into the fall.
“We are gearing up for a long struggle,” he said. “We are not expecting it will be easy to change the status from out-of-control to being held.”
Three fires south of town combined to destroy roughly 30 per cent of Jasper on Wednesday evening. A wildfire north of Jasper remains a threat to the community, Mr. Shepherd said.
The damage is concentrated in Jasper’s southwest and most of the destroyed structures are residential buildings. The Pine Grove Manor, and independent seniors living complex, was lost in the fire, according to a map the municipality released Saturday. The Mount Robson Inn was also destroyed.
“The stone sign on the corner of the property remains,” the hotel said on its website. “To us, it represents the resilience and strength that our team has shown during this incredibly challenging time. “The Mount Robson Inn will be back to welcome guests, one day.”
The fire also destroyed Hostelling International’s accommodations, Sunwapta Apartments, Four Cedars Accommodation, and some of the Tete Jaune Apartments, according to the map. The Cabin Creek community was decimated, along with homes on Lodgepole St.
The Anglican Church Hall, which also houses the Jasper Food Bank, was also destroyed.
Officials have not released a timeline for when residents will be permitted to return to the town or when visitors can access Jasper National Park, home to the famed Icefields Parkway.
Premier Danielle Smith, on her weekly call-in radio show Saturday, said she wants authorities to organize bus tours for residents, so they can see the destruction first-hand.
Christine Nadon, the municipality of Jasper’s incident commander, said that is not yet possible.
“The townsite is not safe,” she said. “We are still very early in our recovery process. The chemicals released by structural fires are a serious risk to health.”
She added that authorities are planning such a tour, but do not have immediate plans given crews are still working to secure Jasper and keep the fire at bay.
“There is still an active wildfire on the perimeter of town. Firefighters and first responders need space to do their job safely.”
Fire crews work to put out hotspots in the Maligne Lodge in Jasper.Amber Bracken/Reuters
Parks Canada on Friday said 358 of the town’s 1,113 structures were destroyed, although critical infrastructure like the hospital and schools survived. The tally does not account for water or smoke damage. Most of the buildings touched by fire were flattened, rather than damaged.
“We’re looking at foundations,” Ms. Nadon said.
Fires ignited in Jasper National Park on the evening of July 22, forcing roughly 25,000 people out of the park that night. Fire reached town Wednesday, fueled by ferocious winds and an extended heat wave. Cooler temperatures and rain brought reprieve on Thursday and Friday, but officials expect conditions to soon turn against them.
Jasper National Park said it was able to conduct and aerial survey of the fire’s perimeter; the current estimate of 32,000 hectares is down from an earlier figure of 36,000 hectares. While smaller than previously anticipated, Jasper National Park said it was the largest forest fire in more than 100 years.
The area has always been shaped by fire, mostly from Indigenous ignition and lightning, according to Parks Canada’s Mr. Shepherd. But because governments put an end to Indigenous fire practices, while also suppressing wildfires as a matter of policy, the forest in the park is now older and more flammable, Mr. Shepherd said.
He added that climate change allowed mountain pine beetles to move into Alberta, leaving swaths of dead forests in their wake.
These conditions made the Jasper fire much fiercer than those generations ago.
“We had much more fuel continuity than would have existed 100 years ago, similar to a lot of other landscapes and areas that haven’t been shaped by fire recently,” Mr. Shepherd said.
Jasper National Park, in an update on social media, said it anticipates crews will extinguish the remaining fires in the town of Jasper on Saturday. Power is being restored to parts of Jasper’s downtown core and its critical infrastructure. Officials are assessing the damage to utilities, roads and bridges.
Firefighters will bucket near Marmot Basin ski area Saturday, according to the update. Officials do not have a “current assessment” of the damage at Marmot, the update said. Marmot, on its website, said “recent mapping detailed the balance of the fire to be below our leasehold.”
Parks Canada said it could not confirm the status of its campgrounds. All reservations in the frontcountry, backcountry, and Parks Canada accommodations, have been cancelled up to Aug. 6.
“This date will be reassessed once assessments of the Jasper townsite and outlying infrastructure have been completed,” the federal agency said.
There were 141 wildfires burning in Alberta Saturday afternoon and 34 of those were out of control, according to Alberta Wildfire.
Stephen Lacroix, managing director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, noted roughly 17,100 residents are evacuated across the province.
“While so much public attention has understandably been focused on Jasper, I want to remind everyone that we continue to have evacuation orders in place for other areas,” Mr. Lacroix said in a Saturday update.
The municipal district of Bighorn and surrounding areas, Little Red River Cree Nation, and the community of Chippewa Lake are under evacuation orders.
“We’re anticipating hot and dry conditions for much of the province in the coming days – so this is a critical point in our wildfire response,” he said.