One-third of structures in Jasper damaged by massive wildfire
More than 300 buildings in Jasper, Alta., were damaged by a massive wildfire that reached the mountain townsite Wednesday evening, Jasper National Park said on social media Friday.
"Out of a total of 1,113 structures within the town, 358 have been destroyed," the park said in an update posted to Facebook.
Assessment of infrastructure damage is ongoing but all critical infrastructure — including the hospital, schools, activity centre and wastewater treatment plant — was saved, the statement said.
Firefighters in Jasper, about 360 kilometres west of Edmonton, are focusing on extinguishing hot spots on the town's outskirts and trees surrounding the community, as well as structures.
Officials previously confirmed that the west side of Jasper was the hardest hit. They had confirmed there was significant loss throughout the community, but did not offer an estimate until Friday.
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Rain and cooler temperatures have helped subdue the spread of a massive wildfire that consumed homes in the heart of Jasper National Park.
The fire, described as a monster for its size and intensity, levelled entire neighbourhoods in the Jasper townsite when it roared into the community Wednesday evening.
As details on the scale of the damage begin to emerge, emergency officials are promising to take advantage of a reprieve from the volatile weather conditions that fuelled the flames.
The figures from Jasper National Park on Friday show that 32 per cent of all structures in the townsite were destroyed.
Premier Danielle Smith and two provincial cabinet ministers said Thursday that preliminary estimates suggest 30 to 50 per cent of the town's structures may have burned.
Fire behaviour is expected to calm, at least temporarily, due to wet weather expected in the mountain park this weekend.
The battle against the fire is being managed from a command centre in Hinton, which became the centre of operations after many first responders evacuated Jasper late Wednesday due to dangerously poor air quality on the front line.
On Friday morning, Smith and federal Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan toured the command centre and speak with reporters.
The fire, which spread into the community from the south, continues to burn out of control and has since merged with a wildfire burning to the north into a single blaze.
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The Jasper Wildfire Complex now includes the combined north and south wildfires and the Utopia wildfire near Miette Hot Springs that started July 19.
In all, the flames have burned an estimated 36,000 hectares but mapping the perimeter remains a challenge due to strong winds, extreme fire behaviour, heavy cloud and smoke.
Aircraft have not been able to fly safely and satellite imaging has been obscured by thick cloud cover.
Officials with Jasper National Park say temperatures cooled and rain started shortly after midnight Wednesday.
Between 10 and 15 mm of rain fell in the park Wednesday leading to minimal spread throughout the day, the agency said.
The precipitation will likely keep fire behaviour low for 72 hours, parks officials said in the statement issued around 10 p.m. MT Thursday.
"Crews will take advantage of this time to make as much progress as possible to suppress the wildfire and reduce further spread. While rain in Jasper is a welcome sight, warm weather is forecasted and will increase wildfire activity."
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Crews are bracing for a long battle with the fire. Officials have said it could take weeks, if not longer, to gain the upper hand.
The fire moved into the townsite on Wednesday, driven by winds of 100 kilometres an hour, spreading rapidly and creating a wall of fire 100 metres high.
There are 173 active wildfires in Alberta as of Friday morning with more than 550,000 hectares burned since the start of wildfire season.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has spoken with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith about the wildfire situation in Jasper.
A statement Thursday from the Prime Minister's Office said the leaders spoke about the resources and support being made available to the fire-ravaged town as well as other communities in Alberta being threatened by wildfires.
Trudeau and Smith have agreed to stay in regular contact as the situation unfolds.
During a news conference Thursday, Sajjan said all necessary resources will be brought to bear on the fires. Given the intensity of the fires, every aid request from the province was approved by the federal government, he said.
"No stone will be left unturned," Sajjan said.
Thumbnail image courtesy Jasper National Park/Facebook.
This article, written by Wallis Snowdon and Nicholas Frew, was originally published for CBC News on Friday, July 26, 2024.
