Jasper wildfire largest in 100 years, expected to burn for months: Officials

Officials say the Jasper wildfire, which tore through the townsite on Wednesday, is the largest the national park has recorded in 100 years.

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Parks Canada gave an update on the wildfire and damage to the town on Saturday afternoon.

"We recognize that this is a traumatic and stressful time for Jasper residents. Many of you will have your worst fears officially confirmed today," Christine Nadon, incident commander for the Municipality of Jasper, said.

A preliminary map of damaged properties was released on Saturday, but Nadon said it only shows any damage as assessed from the street, and any homes marked as "not damaged" may still have smoke or water damage inside. 

On Friday, it was estimated that 358 of the 1,113 structures in the town had been destroyed.

"The residential population that is affected is much greater than the number of structures damaged," Nadon said. "An apartment building is one structure, a single house is one structure … Therefore, a good majority of our residents are affected.

"And, I would say, even those who still have homes are deeply affected and grieving our community."

While there are no details yet, Nadon said planning is underway for residents to have scheduled visits – though it remained too dangerous on Saturday for reentry.

"At this time, it is not possible for residents to return to Jasper to view their property or collect their belongings," she added. "The townsite is not safe …the chemicals released by structural fire are a serious risk to health. There is still an active wildfire on the perimeter of town."

More information for residents can be found on the Municipality of Jasper's website or the town's Facebook page. 

'A long struggle'

Despite recent cooler, wetter weather, the Jasper wildfire remained out-of-control on Saturday.

Landon Shepherd, of Parks Canada, said efforts were being focused on the town's perimeter, as well as protecting critical park infrastructure like pipelines, CN rail and Highway 16.

Structural firefighters remained in the town on Saturday to put out hotspots.

Shepherd said the fire, which began as three separate wildfires, is the largest Jasper National Park has recorded in the past 100 years – due in part to large amounts of available fuel.

"The suppression of Indigenous ignition over the last century, as well as a policy of wanting to suppress fires, because they can be really consequential like this, it means we don't have that landscape mosaic to break things up," he added.

Shepherd said fire activity is expected to pick up again in the coming days, and he expects crews to continue working on the fire for at least three months.

"The fire season Jasper tends to last well into the fall," Shepherd said. "So we're gearing up for a long struggle." 

Evacuees

There were around 17,100 total wildfire evacuees across Alberta on Saturday according to the Alberta Emergency Management Agency.

Evacuation orders remained active in Jasper, the communities of John D'Or Prairie, Fox Lake, Garden River, Chipewyan Lake and the Municipal District of Bighorn.

Jasper evacuees, and any other evacuees who have been away from home for seven or more days, can apply for emergency financial relief at the Government of Alberta website. 

The Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) said the province will be hosting a telephone town hall on Monday at 6:30 p.m.

"We know that there's a lot of information circulating about the situation in Jasper, including some that is misleading or unverified," said Stephen Lacroix, from AEMA. "Albertans are invited to join the town hall to get updates on the wildfire situation and answers to any questions you may have."

More information on the town hall can be found at alberta.ca/emergency.