“Where there are homes for some, there is a community for all”

For the latest information on the wildfire and for information and resources for evacuees, please visit the City of Jasper website and the Department of Justice and Jasper National Park social media channels.

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Jasper residents are feeling a mixture of devastation and relief as recent images of their beloved town show that the community, despite being devastated by wildfires, is still standing.

A total of 358 structures, including homes, apartment buildings and in some cases entire neighborhoods and commercial buildings, were lost in the city of 4,700 residents in a wildfire on July 24, which was started by lightning on July 22.

The largest fire in Jasper National Park history was raging through the Athabasca River Valley south of Jasper, reaching the southern edge of the community on the evening of July 24. After evacuating the town and the entire park at 10 p.m. on July 22 and moving 25,000 people from the community, a dozen hotels, and several overcrowded campgrounds, emergency responders watched as the wildfire raged across the valley on both sides of the river on July 23, gaining momentum as winds gusted.

On the afternoon of July 24, as the fire moved closer to the city, the conflagration — which started as three fires and quickly morphed into one — expanded as far as three miles (5 kilometers) in an hour, officials said, dumping embers ahead of the flames and dashing any hope of a last stand by hundreds of firefighters and heavy equipment deployed as quickly as incident commanders could summon.

“This was a very, very intense fire that started in extremely dry conditions,” said Landon Shepherd, Parks Canada deputy incident commander.

And yet, despite a 100-meter-high wall of flames being blown into the evacuated community by 125 km/h winds, all critical infrastructure remained intact. Schools, the Seton Healthcare Centre, the city’s water and wastewater treatment plants, the library and adjacent council chambers, and the fire station are all still standing. The Jasper Activity Centre, which is under renovation, the adjacent arena and early learning centre, the Parks Canada Information Centre, the Canada Post Office, and the Jasper Museum were also spared.

But hundreds of houses do not.

On July 26, Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland, along with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, government ministers and Parks Canada officials, visited the community to get a sense of the devastation. The convoy wound its way through town as hundreds of firefighters and logisticians around them continued to protect buildings, track fires, move fallen branches and debris, restore utility lines and secure hazardous locations. When the group of officials reached the Turret Street property where Ireland lived with his wife, where the 69-year-old raised his children and where he grew up, there was nothing left but a smoldering foundation.

“Somewhere in there is a picture of me with a birthday cake, sitting on moving boxes when I was two,” he told reporters, trying to contain his emotions.

Ireland also told the media that he knew he was experiencing what hundreds of other residents will soon experience.

“Some of our residents will have a home to come back to. Some won’t,” Ireland said. “It’s unfathomable.”

On July 27, the Department of Justice released a map and downloadable spreadsheet showing the extent of the wildfire damage by street, to give residents a better idea of ​​what to expect when they eventually return to the city. No timeline was given.

“Many of you will have your worst fears confirmed today,” said Christine Nadon, incident commander at the Department of Justice.

Nadon, who lost her own home in the fire, said a large portion of the community has been affected, whether you have a home or not. She encouraged Jasperites to reach out to health professionals. The Department of Justice has a list of mental health resources on its website.

“Survivor’s guilt is a thing,” Nadon said. “Why is my house here and yours isn’t?”

After his tour, during which he saw firsthand how indiscriminately some homes were destroyed by fire and others were not, Ireland encouraged his residents not to dwell too much on the how and why.

“Let’s just continue with what we have, together,” he said.

But before officials can put a plan in motion for residents to return, they still have an unprecedented wildfire to deal with. As Shepherd and Nadon explained as they stood outside the Hinton wildfire command center, which had been moved 60 miles east after flames forced all but structural protection crews to flee on July 24, the 80,000-acre blaze is still burning out of control.

Shepherd said that despite 12 millimetres of rain in the past 36 hours, which has allowed firefighters to get right to the fire line in many critical areas, it could be weeks before the fire can be considered “under control”.

“We expect to be working on this wildfire for at least the next three months,” Shepherd said.

The northern wildfire, which was reported just 30 minutes before the southern fires on July 22, continues to pose a threat to the community. Together, the two fires, plus the Utopia Mountain fire in the eastern end of Jasper National Park, form the Jasper Wildfire Complex. Shepherd said warmer, drier conditions expected in the coming days will make it more difficult to contain all of those fronts. Structural protection sprinklers are also being moved from previously burned areas to the active fire perimeter adjacent to the community and surrounding structures. This includes installing more structural protection sprinklers at Lake Edith and businesses north of the town of Jasper.

“Some areas where no rainfall has occurred may experience increased fire activity over the next few days,” the Parks Canada statement said.

And then there’s the cleanup and hazard mitigation within the city site: removing debris, covering gas lines, fencing off any hazardous property, flushing ash-clogged drains, and assessing damaged roads and bridges. The tasks are so monumental and the wildfire situation so dynamic that there is currently no planned timeline for residents’ return.

“The city is still unsafe,” Nadon said.

Ireland has pledged to attend as soon as it is safe to return.

“I know this will be the darkest week in our community’s history; I am confident that together we will face better times,” he said.

“Where there are homes for some, there is a community for all.”

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Bob Covey // [email protected]

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The Alberta government is hosting an online telephone meeting for evacuated Alberta residents to stay updated on the wildfire situation and get answers to their questions.

The online telephone municipal council meeting will take place on Monday, July 29 from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM.

To attend, call 1-833-380-0691 or visit online here. If you are unable to attend, a recording will be available after the event.

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The Caring Community Fund receives donations for the community.

The CCF operates under the Jasper Community Team Societya registered charity since 2004.

With the help of the Outreach Workers, CCF is able to help the residents of Jasper during these difficult times.

To donate, visit the Jasper Community Team Society webpage.

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