Jasper mayor finds home destroyed by wildfire on tour of townsite

• In Pictures: Jasper wildfire aftermath
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This article was no longer being updated as of 8:30 p.m. Friday

8:30 p.m. MT: Mayor reflects on lost home on tour of townsite wreckage

On a tour of the wreckage at the Jasper townsite, Mayor Richard Ireland stopped at one house, the charred remains of which had collapsed into the basement.

It was his home.

He said his family moved into the house on his second birthday.

And while Ireland said the loss of his home of 67 years "is shattering ... when I stood back and looked, and saw what remains, I know that the community is still there."

Ireland reflected on what that means to him as he toured — alongside Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, ministers and media — the remains of the town that's home to about 5,000 residents who are joined by many more visitors at any given time of the year.

Friday's tour was the first broader look at the damage this week's wildfire inflicted on the townsite, which was evacuated less than 48 hours before the so-called monster blaze that's 36,000 hectares in size arrived at its doorstep.

"Earlier today, on a broader level, 30 per cent (of structures lost) means something ... it means 70 per cent remains," Ireland told reporters early Friday evening.

"And that's important because we have 70 per cent to build from, but at an individual level, that is meaningless. If it was one per cent, it would be a dozen homes, a dozen families without their homes, but I can understand that now in a way that I thought I could before but I understand it better now because I am among them." 

The remains of Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland's home of 67 years in Jasper, Alta., on July 26, 2024. (Amber Bracken/The Canadian Press)

7 p.m. MT: Fire damage in Jasper could cost insurance $700M

The Jasper wildfires could cost the insurance industry up to an estimated $700 million.

Credit-rating agency D-B-R-S Morningstar says it believes potential insured losses from the disaster could come close to or even be higher than those incurred in the Slave Lake-Alberta wildfire in 2011.

That blaze reached about $700 million.

Alberta officials estimate between 30 and 50 per cent of the buildings in the Jasper townsite may have been destroyed in this week's blaze and the agency says insurers may face additional business claims due to destruction at Jasper National Park. 

- The Canadian Press

5 p.m. MT: 910 Jasper evacuees registered in Edmonton

The City of Edmonton says 910 evacuees fleeing the wildfires in Jasper National Park have registered at the Kennedale evacuation centre as of Friday afternoon.

Edmonton's Emergency Support Response Team also told CTV News Edmonton that 16 pets have been registered with them and that 347 households have been given accommodation through the Red Cross.

3 p.m. MT: 'Several weeks' before Jasper residents can return: Smith

Premier Danielle Smith said Friday afternoon in Hinton while weather conditions are cooler, the Jasper fire is still considered out of control and that Jasper residents can expect to be away from their homes "for several weeks."

"It's still unsafe for people to return," Smith told reporters, adding that assessment work has to be "done building by building (and) house by house ... so it is a methodical process that ensures the safety of people and property."

She said damage is concentrated on the west side of town southwest of Miette Avenue.

Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland said high humidity and lower temperatures now are "of great benefit" to firefighters, but that a warmer, drier forecast by Monday speaks to the unpredictability of the "dynamic, evolving situation."

"Until the fire can be deemed to be under control, I don't think we can realistically talk about reentry plans," Ireland said.

"That is not to say that we won't continue to develop them. We will prepare as we can for reentry, but the fire circumstances as much as anything will dictate that, and it is still too early in the day to be able to determine what that fire behavior is going to be over the coming days."  

Power and gas remain shut off at the townsite, but work to restore it is "being done as quickly as possible," said Smith.

She also pointed out "the hard work of the firefighters and front-line workers" protected Jasper from "even more damage."

The Alberta government is also "expediting (its) evacuation payment policy" for Jasper residents, said Smith, waiving the usual seven-day period.

2:30 p.m. MT: Ottawa, Alberta matching wildfire donations to Red Cross

Both the federal and provincial governments say they will match donations to the Canadian Red Cross to help people affected by wildfires in Alberta this year.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the appeal on Friday afternoon via social media, while Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced the provincial government will do the same.

The Red Cross introduced the 2024 Alberta Wildfires Appeal on Thursday.

1 p.m. MT: 30% of town structures destroyed, say officials

Jasper National Park officials say about 30 per cent of the structures in the Town of Jasper were destroyed in this week's wildfire.

In a Friday afternoon update, officials reported 358 of the 1,113 structures in the townsite have been destroyed, adding all critical infrastructure "was successfully protected, including the hospital, emergency services building, both elementary and junior/senior schools, activity centre and wastewater treatment plant."

Media are scheduled for a tour of the townsite today.

The estimated size of the fire is 36,000 hectares — about 360 square kilometres, an area slightly smaller than the City of Edmonton inside Anthony Henday Drive — a figure unchanged from Thursday night.

The fast-moving wildfire — when it reached the Jasper townsite Wednesday evening, officials reported it had moved 5 kilometres in 30 minutes — forced 25,000 people to flee the national park, which is one of six Alberta places designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

12 p.m. MT: Premier to tour townsite Friday

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is set to tour the resort town of Jasper to see firsthand the devastation caused by wildfires.

Smith is also expected to give an update on firefighting efforts.

Cool wet weather overnight has helped fire crews, but the weekend forecast is for the heat to return.

Wildfires menacing the town flared up into towering walls of flame Wednesday night, breaching defences and destroying homes and businesses.

Critical infrastructure, including schools and the hospital, remain intact.

About 25,000 people had to flee Jasper National Park ahead of the fires Monday, including about 5,000 residents of the town.

- The Canadian Press