Jasper Wildfire Update: 30 to 50 Percent of Structures May Have Been Destroyed

The Jasper Wildfire continues to rage and officials believe 30 to 50 percent of the structures in the townsite may have been destroyed.

According to Jasper National Park updates, the estimated fire size map is 36,000 hectares. “The levels of fire activity within the mapped perimeters overlay areas where property or infrastructure is present, the perimeters do not indicate what level of damage (if any) may have occurred”, said the update.

The update says the information should only be used for reference purposes. The thick smoke in the air has made it difficult for accurate satellite imaging of the damage.

Parks Canada says most of the damage to the town, is concentrated on the west side of town, southwest of Miette Avenue. “Firefighting efforts have prevented significant damage to much of the infrastructure in the east end of town”, says the update.

The fire also damaged some bridges around the town and throughout the national park, says Jasper National Park. The Moberly Bridge and the Old Fort Point Bridge were destroyed. Officials will need to access the Bridges on the Icefields Parkway for structural damage, which will slow down access to the Maligne Lake and Highway 93.

As at the last update by 10pm on Thursday, Parks Canada says the cooler temperature and rainfall will likely keep the fire behavior low for the next 72 hours. During this time, crews will use the advantage to make as much progress as possible to suppress the wildfire and reduce further spread.

Parks Canada added that although the rain is a welcome sight, warm weather is forecasted and will increase the wildfire activity.

“Parks Canada, the Municipality of Jasper, and our partners from Alberta and across Canada are continuing to respond to this emergency”, says Parks officials. “In Unified Command, Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper continue to manage this crisis from the Town of Hinton.”

The wildfire will reportedly be reassessed today, Friday July 26, 2024.

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