One-third of structures in Jasper damaged by massive wildfire

358 of 1,113 structures destroyed, Jasper National Park says in social media post

More than 350 buildings in Jasper, Alta., were damaged by a massive wildfire that ripped through the mountain townsite Wednesday evening, Jasper National Park said on social media Friday.

Of the 1,113 total structures within the town, 358 were destroyed, Jasper National Park said in an update posted to Facebook.

There is no timeline for when residents may get to return, Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland told reporters in Hinton, Alta., Friday.

Premier Danielle Smith said residents could be away for several weeks, at least, so the government is expediting its evacuation payment program for those displaced from Jasper and the national park.

The fire is still out of control and it remains unsafe for people to return, Smith told reporters in Hinton. We can’t have unlimited re-entry into the park at this time.

The Alberta government is opening up its evacuation payment program to the people of Jasper, Smith said.

Assessment of infrastructure damage is ongoing but all critical infrastructure — including the hospital, schools, activity centre and wastewater treatment plant — was saved, the national park’s statement said.

Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland said Friday there is no timeline for when residents may get to return.

Firefighters in Jasper, about 360 kilometres west of Edmonton, are focusing on extinguishing hot spots on the town’s outskirts and trees surrounding the community, as well as structures.

Officials previously confirmed that the west side of Jasper was the hardest hit. They had confirmed there was siginificant loss throughout the community, but did not offer an estimate until Friday.

WATCH | Raw: Video shows destruction between Cabin Creek Drive and Patricia Street:

Rain and cooler temperatures have helped subdue the spread of a massive wildfire that consumed homes in the heart of Jasper National Park.

The fire, described as a monster for its size and intensity, levelled entire neighbourhoods in the Jasper townsite when it roared into the community Wednesday evening.

As details on the scale of the damage begin to emerge, emergency officials are promising to take advantage of a reprieve from the volatile weather conditions that fuelled the flames.

Ireland, Smith and federal Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan toured the command centre in Hinton, Alta., that is orchestrating firefighting in Jasper and the national park.

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Hinton became the hive of operations after many first responders evacuated Jasper late Wednesday, in part due to dangerously poor air quality on the front line.

“It is incredible to see the work that everyone is doing to fight this fire,” Smith told reporters in Hinton, Alta., Friday afternoon.

Smith and two provincial cabinet ministers said Thursday that preliminary estimates suggested 30 to 50 per cent of the town’s structures may have burned.

The figures from Jasper National Park on Friday show that 32 per cent of all structures in the townsite were destroyed.

“It was the hard work of the firefighters and the front-line workers who protected Jasper from even more damage — and for that, we are all grateful,” Smith said.

Fire behaviour is expected to calm, at least temporarily, due to wet weather expected in the mountain park this weekend.

The fire, which spread into the community from the south, continues to burn out of control and has since merged with a wildfire burning to the north into a single blaze.

The Jasper Wildfire Complex now includes the combined north and south wildfires and the Utopia wildfire near Miette Hot Springs that started July 19.

In all, the flames have burned an estimated 36,000 hectares but mapping the perimeter remains a challenge due to strong winds, extreme fire behaviour, heavy cloud and smoke.

Aircraft have not been able to fly safely and satellite imaging has been obscured by thick cloud cover.

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Officials with Jasper National Park say temperatures cooled and rain started shortly after midnight Wednesday.

Between 10 and 15 mm of rain fell in the park Wednesday leading to minimal spread throughout the day, the agency said.

The precipitation will likely keep fire behaviour low for 72 hours, parks officials said in the statement issued around 10 p.m. MT Thursday.

Crews will take advantage of this time to make as much progress as possible to suppress the wildfire and reduce further spread. While rain in Jasper is a welcome sight, warm weather is forecasted and will increase wildfire activity.

Crews are bracing for a long battle with the fire. Officials have said it could take weeks, if not longer, to gain the upper hand.

The fire moved into the townsite on Wednesday, driven by winds of 100 kilometres an hour, spreading rapidly and creating a wall of fire 100 metres high.

There are 173 active wildfires in Alberta as of Friday morning with more than 550,000 hectares burned since the start of wildfire season.

Smith and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke Thursday about the wildfire situation in Jasper.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said they discussed the resources and support being made available to the fire-ravaged town as well as other communities in Alberta being threatened by wildfires.

WATCH | Parts of Jasper incinerated as wildfire rages:

Trudeau and Smith have agreed to stay in regular contact as the situation unfolds.

During a news conference Thursday, Sajjan said all necessary resources will be brought to bear on the fires. Given the intensity of the fires, every aid request from the province was approved by the federal government, he said.

No stone will be left unturned, Sajjan said.

This article is republished from RCI.