Jasper Wildfire Reaches Town Causing Infrastructure Loss

The wildfires in Jasper National Park have reached the town of Jasper on Wednesday night, causing “significant loss.”

According to a Facebook update by Jasper National Park, the wildfire reached the Jasper townsite just around 6:40pm on Wednesday, after being driven by strong wind gusts from the South and southeast.

“This afternoon, suppression efforts by helicopter bucketing proved ineffective. Fireguards being completed by heavy equipment were not able to be completed before the heavy equipment needed to be pulled off the Fireline for safety. Water bombers from Alberta were unable to assist due to dangerous flying conditions”, says Parks Canada.

The fire affected the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, one of the most-well known and storied resorts in Jasper.

In another update, Parks Canada says, “at around 8:30pm, it was determined that air quality had deteriorated to the point that wildland firefighters and others without self-contained breathing apparatuses needed to evacuate to Hinton.”

Parks Canada says there are structural firefighters in town who are working to save as many structures as possible and to protect critical infrastructure, including the wastewater treatment plant, communications facilities, the Trans Mountain Pipeline and others.

As of 10pm, Jasper National Park updates stated that many more structural firefighters were enroute to provide assistance. “We are sensitive that residents, business owners, visitors, and those with connections to Jasper want to know the state of their homes, businesses, treasures and favorite places.”

The Park said it was focusing on saving as many structures as possible. Although, the park could not report the extent of damage to specific locations or neighborhoods at the last update.

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