Residents of the town of Jasper, Alberta, are still waiting to see the state of their homes following a wildfire that has devastated the area. The wildfire is gaining ground and is expected to intensify further this Friday, according to the management of the national park of the same name.
Local authorities said Friday morning that the fire remains “out of control.” Overnight from Thursday to Friday, the wildfire spread by about 75 km2which brings its area to approximately 390 km2Parks Canada is also anticipating growth this weekend and a possible increase in smoke in the region.
The fire has been growing in its southern end due to hot, dry weather and a drop in humidity in recent days, as expected by firefighting crews. Fire crews are now strategically lighting the fire near the Kerkeslin Campground (about 30 kilometres south of Jasper) to protect the campground’s infrastructure.
The provincial agency Alberta Wildfire announced Friday that “bulldozer protection lines have been added between Pyramid Lake and Highway 16” north of Jasper. According to Parks Canada, small-scale ignition work has been done to reinforce these protection lines.
Jasper National Park also says crews have successfully extinguished fires that were threatening the wastewater and water treatment plant.
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In Jasper, structural protection specialists are “maintaining sprinkler systems on buildings,” Parks Canada said. Rubble removal continues, particularly in the downtown area. ATCO has also restored power there.
The Canadian Red Cross is setting up a reception centre for evacuees in Hinton, a town a few kilometres northeast of Jasper. Commercial traffic on Highway 16, which connects the capital Edmonton to Jasper, is now open at certain times.
The fire forced about 25,000 people to flee the city and national park last week. More than a third of the city has been destroyed by the flames, according to authorities, but critical infrastructure, such as schools and the water treatment plant, is intact.
The Jasper residents’ return plan is currently focused on those in Valemount, a town in British Columbia located about 100 kilometres from the fire zone. “The first step will be to bus seniors and vulnerable people to Hinton tomorrow. Next week, the rest of the plan will be implemented to allow the remaining Jasper residents to leave Valemount and return to Alberta,” Parks Canada said. In the meantime, the organization is sharing partial photos of undamaged buildings to inform residents of the damage in the town.
With The Canadian Press