(Edmonton) Alberta Premier Danielle Smith wants to see bus tours organized for evacuated Jasper residents so they can see for themselves the damage a wildfire has done to their town and know what to expect when they are finally allowed to return home.
Mme Smith made the statement during a special province-wide radio broadcast Saturday, where she also told listeners she would like to see temporary housing set up for residents so they can live in the city while they rebuild their homes.
Parks Canada estimated that 30% of Jasper’s structures were damaged by the wildfire, and 358 of the town’s 1,113 structures were destroyed.
PHOTO AMBER BRACKEN, REUTERS
A fire truck was hosing down the remains of the Maligne Lodge on Friday, which was destroyed by a wildfire.
Premier Smith, accompanied by Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland and other dignitaries, toured the evacuated town on Friday, where they discovered the burned remains of the home where Mr. Ireland himself grew up.
More than 20,000 people in and around the city nestled in the Rocky Mountains, four hours west of Edmonton, were ordered to evacuate late Monday night because of the fast-spreading wildfires.
Mme Smith said temporary housing was used during the rebuilding of High River, Alta., after the town suffered devastating floods in 2013.
PHOTO AMBER BRACKEN, REUTERS
A firefighter looked at the rubble of buildings destroyed by the flames on Friday.
“So we’ve seen a precedent of a temporary community that allows people to live on site while rebuilding,” Mr.me Smith to his radio audience, pointing out that the nearby town of Hinton, Alberta, can be used for construction workers.
She said she expects it will be about 28 days before Jasper residents are allowed to return to their town, explaining that it took a similar amount of time before Fort McMurray residents were given the green light to return home after the massive wildfire in 2016.
While Smith said after her tour of the city on Friday that critical infrastructure was intact, including schools, the hospital and water treatment services, she said on Saturday that staff had to go inside the hospital to check for damage because there were reports its roof had been damaged by fire.
As the town is part of Jasper National Park, reconstruction plans are taking shape with help from the federal government, the premier said.
“We’ve already launched a joint task force on how the recovery is going to happen, trying to figure out when people can return to their communities, and I’m very hopeful that it will be better than ever.”
A statement released on X on Friday evening said fire crews were taking advantage of the cool, damp conditions to make progress in their fight against the blaze in the burning buildings.
The same statement said crews were working to control hot spots along the wildfire perimeter closest to the Jasper townsite.
Among the properties affected by the wildfire was the famous Maligne Hotel.
Officials with Alberta Wildfire and the Alberta Emergency Management Agency are expected to provide an update on the current wildfire situation later Saturday.