Jasper updates: Parks Canada says no fires still burning in town, fires still threaten community

All fires in the town of Jasper are out, officials have announced.

Steven Guilbeault, the federal minister in charge of Parks Canada, made the announcement during a Monday morning update.

"Crews are now bringing power back on and looking to prepare the community for a staged reentry. Although there are no firm timelines for when that can occur," he said, adding wildfires in the park still threaten the community.

• Complete coverage of the 2024 Alberta wildfire season
• In pictures: Jasper wildfire aftermath

"This was the single largest fire in Jasper National Park history."

"What many may not know is that Parks Canada staff housing was located in the southwest end of town. That means that many Parks Canada staff who've been managing this situation have been doing so knowing their homes were lost in the blaze." 

• Maps: Check the air quality and active wildfires where you live

Ron Hallman, president and CEO of Parks Canada, said the organization has been working for years to protect the park from wildfire danger.

Parks Canada started doing prescribed burns in the park in 1995, according to Hallman, and started implementing Fire Smart measures, a national program designed to prevent wildfires in 2003.

"To address known threats from mountain pine beetle and other factors. Parks Canada has regularly performed prescribed fires and mechanical removal of hazardous trees and underbrush in the park."

"Parks Canada and our partners have done everything we reasonably could have done to reduce fire risk over many years, and to be prepared for what may come."

Despite the efforts made over the years, Hallman says there was no way to prevent what happened when fire entered the town last Wednesday.

"We are all devastated that the fire breached the town despite best efforts."

"The simple fact is that sometimes there are no tools or resources capable of overcoming a wildfire of the magnitude that we faced."

Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland, who lost his own home in the fire, thanked Parks Canada for their work in protecting the town.

"We anticipated with Parks Canada that something like this could happen. And so we fortified our community. And I credit Parks Canada for the work that they did on the landscape to protect our town and when the attack came," he told reporters.

"We suffered casualties. Absolutely. And it is so incredibly hurtful. But we did hold our ground, we saved 70 per cent of our town."

He also thanked Jasper's volunteer firefighters, and the firefighters that came from other municipalities.

On Wednesday night all firefighters that didn't have self-contained breathing apparatuses were forced to leave Jasper because of the fire.

"Our structural fire firefighters, most of them volunteers, stayed behind and battled that fire until other structural teams from other communities across Alberta 32 other communities sent their structural fire protection people."

"They arrived at three in the morning and were immediately immersed in that battle."

Hallman added that during his time at Parks Canada, several different federal governments have poured resources into fireproofing the town.

"In my work as a professional public servant for 30 years this has never been politicized. We have been given the funding we've needed. And we've had incredible support from British Columbia from Alberta," he said.

Rebuilding the community

Hallman says Parks Canada will be working directly with the Town of Jasper, the province, and the federal government to begin the rebuilding process and find temporary accommodations for those who have lost their homes.

"What we need to do is make sure that we're using all of the tools we have to help get any rebuilding and temporary structures in place just as soon as humanly possible so people can get back to the community," he said, promising further details in the future. 

The province is holding a phone town hall for evacuees on Monday fom 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

To participate, dial 1-833-380-0691 or click the link.