Jasper latest: Fire behaviour increasing with hotter weather
The Jasper wildfire remains out of control and fire behaviour is increasing on Wednesday as the weather gets hotter.
In a Wednesday morning media update, Parks Canada said 750 personnel continue to fight the wildfire and that the top priority is "reducing the remaining risk it poses to the community."
"As conditions become hotter and drier, more smoke may become visible in the region," Parks Canada said.
"Operations are strategically focusing efforts in critical areas to mitigate this expected change in weather. Crews will continue critical infrastructure protection in the town and in outlying areas."
In the Municipality of Jasper, crews are working to restore utilities, fixing water lines and power infrastructure.
They're also cleaning municipal facilities to "scale up" plans to support re-entry, "once it becomes safe to do so."
The final details and timeline will be at the discretion of Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis told reporters Wednesday afternoon.
Ellis hopes residents will be able to tour Jasper on buses "really, really soon."
"It's just about making sure that it's safe," Ellis said.
He said ATCO is starting to turn power back on in the townsite but that gas services remain unavailable.
Highway 16 is expected to reopen to commercial traffic in the next 24 hours, the minister added.
He said a plan was being formulated and should be ready in the next day or so to help people get the campers and trailers they were forced to abandon when everyone was ordered out of the park.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7030020.1725828794!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
'Beautiful in its own way': New forest emerges in Jasper National Park, bringing protection and new opportunities
Charred stumps and the remains of fire-ravaged trees still cover large tracts of land on the Jasper landscape, but life is returning quickly down below.
Bloc Quebecois ready to extract gains for Quebec in exchange for supporting Liberals
The Bloc Québécois says its ready to wheel and deal with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's party for support during confidence votes now that the Liberal government's confidence and supply agreement with the NDP has ended.
Dog mauled to death in B.C. yard after 3 pit bulls jump fence: police
A 12-year-old collie was killed by three pit bulls in the B.C. Interior Sunday morning, according to authorities.
video ‘Not checking out yet’: Woman with incurable cancer vows to keep fighting
Heather Appleton just renewed her passport for another ten years. “I’m not checking out yet,” said Appleton, 61, who has the incurable cancer, Multiple Myeloma.
Trump threatens to jail adversaries in escalating rhetoric ahead of pivotal debate
With just days to go before his first and likely only debate against U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, former U.S. president Donald Trump posted a warning on his social media site threatening to jail those “involved in unscrupulous behavior” this election, which he said would be under intense scrutiny.
'It's morally wrong': A rural Alberta town reacts to homeless shelter closure
At the end of a side street in Slave Lake, Alta., Lynn Bowes looks at a grey job-site trailer with boarded-up windows and doors that once operated as her town's only homeless shelter.
Over 200 firearms seized in weapons investigation: Waterloo Regional Police
According to police, during a traffic stop in Waterloo, officers noticed firearms and ammunition inside the vehicle.
Military surplus store in Calgary, destination of celebrity shoppers, closing doors
Cher, Anthony Hopkins, Heath Ledger, Alec Baldwin and Tom Hardy are just a few of the celebrities John Cumming met while growing up in his family's military surplus store.
Slide over salsa: K-pop takes socialist Cuba by storm
Socialist Cuba, the birthplace of salsa and other rhythms that have conquered the world, is now surrendering to the invasion of South Korean pop music.