UPDATE: Fire not out yet in Town of Jasper

Late afternoon Thursday, Parks Canada stated in a social media update that fire crews are still fighting fires within the Town of Jasper and continue to deal with fire jumping from one building to another. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is estimating that one third to possibly half of all buildings in the Jasper townsite were burned down or damaged as the fire entered the community. Friday morning, Parks Canada posted on X, formerly Twitter, that temperatures cooled, and rain started shortly after midnight Thursday night. The 10-15 mm of rainfall in the national park has led to minimal fire behaviour and spread Friday. This precipitation will likely keep fire behaviour low for the next 72 hours.

Parks Canada understands that people are anxious to hear more information about the extent of the impacts to the town, but first conditions need to be safe enough for a detailed assessment to be done. Incident Command confirms that all critical infrastructure in Jasper was successfully protected including the hospital, emergency services building, the schools, the activity centre and the wastewater treatment plant.

However, some homes and businesses have been lost. The most significant damage is on the west side of town, southwest of Miette Avenue. The fire also damaged a number of bridges around the town and throughout Jasper National Park, including the Moberly Bridge and the Old Fort Point Bridge.

With the rain and cooler temperatures, the post from Jasper National Park/Parks Canada says fire activity is significantly subdued. “However, it is important to note that the fire is still out of control and significant work remains before conditions are safe enough to allow for limited re-entry into the park.”