Milder weather gives crews chance to make progress in fighting Jasper wildfires

Parks Canada officials say they are making progress in fighting the fires in Jasper National Park.

A late Sunday night update from the park’s official X account reported that emergency services were busy on several fronts, with the Canadian Forces battling fires on the northwest side of the town of Jasper.

With temperatures expected to remain around 25 degrees this week, it is vital to make progress at this time in Jasper National Park.

One of the activities is the installation of a 30 centimeter long sprinkler line along the communal fire watch. According to the park, this line is almost finished.

More than 20,000 people in and around the Rocky Mountain community four hours west of Edmonton were ordered to evacuate Monday due to rapidly spreading wildfires.

Parks Canada estimates that 30 percent of the buildings in Jasper were damaged by the wildfire.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2024.

The Canadian Press