Crews make progress in Jasper National Park but firefighting to continue into fall

JASPER, Alta. — Officials from Parks Canada say crews are making good progress on tackling the wildfire in Jasper National Park but expect some firefighting to continue into the fall.

During a virtual press conference Tuesday, agency incident commander Landon Shepherd told reporters rain has helped firefighters battle the blaze that burned into the Jasper townsite two weeks ago.

The fire, which continues to burn in the park and to pose a threat to the town, was estimated to be 340 square kilometres in size, unchanged from a day earlier.

“We are making progress towards securing the fire around the community of Jasper (and) the areas that are close or adjacent to the community of Jasper,” Shepherd said. “The long-term prognosis is a little bit less rosy in terms of overall control of the wildfire.”

About 25,000 residents and visitors were forced from the town and the park, which remain under an evacuation order.

About a third of the town’s structures were destroyed, but key infrastructure, including schools and the water treatment plant, was spared.

Shepherd said crews expect firefighting efforts to extend into early November.

“We’re hoping to continue to get assistance from Mother Nature, which helps out in some of the more remote areas that are really difficult to access in this rocky mountain terrain,” he said.

“But as it stands … we’re making very good progress and seeing less and less hot spots along those lines that we’ve been working to control for the last couple of weeks.”

Officials have said a limited number of critical and retail services, including gas stations, grocery stores and pharmacies, are doing initial damage assessments as preparation for re-entry continues.

There is still no timeline for when residents can return to Jasper, but bus tours have begun for residents, with priority given to those whose homes were lost or damaged.

The province said Tuesday that 576 people had registered for the tours. Residents aren’t allowed to get off the buses while in the town.

Separate tours are also being scheduled for business owners to survey property damage for insurance and rebuilding purposes.

Alberta Wildfire spokeswoman Christie Tucker said 119 wildfires were burning across the province on Tuesday, including 15 considered out of control.
The long weekend saw 25 new wildfires pop up across the province, she added.

Wildfire danger is low in western and central Alberta due to recent rain, she said, but there are higher risks in northeast and southeast portions of the province.

“Conditions are expected to start warming up and drying out in the north of the province,” Tucker said. “With the cooler weather and rain over the weekend, we were able to make good progress re-enforcing containment lines on the wildfires in that area. Teams are prepared for a potential increase in activity.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Aug. 6, 2024.

Photo Credit: From left, Wildfire Incident Commander Landon Shepherd, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Mayor of Jasper, Richard Ireland, Alberta Premier Dannielle Smith and Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis look over a map of Jasper while visiting the wildfire command centre in Hinton, Alberta on Monday August 5, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson.