Jasper wildfire no longer 'out of control' as residents return to ravaged town

Article content

It was with mixed emotions Saturday that fire officials announced a major milestone in battling wildfire that drove Jasperites from their homes last month, with the blaze licking the edge of town no longer deemed out of control.

Parks Canada incident commander Jonathan Large reflected on the death of 24-year-old Alberta Wildfire firefighter Morgan Kitchen as he updated reporters Saturday on the Jasper wildfire that ultimately burned a third of the mountain town, home to roughly 5,000. He thanked the first responders, including Kitchen who died battling the blaze Aug. 3, who’ve been working to get the fire under control since mid-July, with Jasperites evacuated July 22.

Article content

The province downgraded the mandatory evacuation order to an “evacuation alert” just after 1 p.m. Saturday. The park is still closed and only residents and local business owners are allowed in the townsite.

Firefighters are still in the park working around the perimeter of the 33,000-hectare blaze to protect the townsite. Between 500 to 700 of the town’s displaced residents visited the welcome centre in Jasper for support as the operation to allow them to return began Friday. Many homes still won’t have access to water and other utilities. Jasperites are asked to beware of bears as two mothers with two cubs each were spotted searching for food in the town.

“We’re proud to call this wildfire ‘being held’ on day 27 since it started, but especially on the day of Morgan Kitchen’s memorial in Calgary,” Large said. “This is what we’ve all been working towards. But the work isn’t done yet. Right now, over 500 people are still on the incident, and they continue to work towards ensuring public safety beyond the town so that Jasper National Park and the town site can heal.”

With the rain and wet weather in the forecast in the coming days, and the northwest perimeter starting to be contained, they are heading in the right direction.

Article content

Article content

“We don’t expect that fire to spread.”

Alberta Wildfire classifies a blaze as “being held” when it is 100 per cent contained, meaning that there’s a perimeter established around the entire site and it’s not expected to spread further. Fires are deemed “under control” when it’s been successfully managed to ensure no further spread.

Fire spread by winds so strong it threw shipping container

Large wanted the public to know how challenging this wildfire has been since dry lighting sparked multiple fires July 22 and quickly spread out of control.

The first fire was reported July 22 near the Jasper transfer station. Another fire was spotted near Kerkeslin campground 30 minutes later. Ten minutes after that, another two fires were reported near a campground south of Jasper.

“The winds were gusting 20 to 30 km/h, bringing the three fires south of the town quickly into one,” he said.

Hundreds of firefighters, and equipment including protection for the town, were called in right away although some resources took a few days to arrive. But multiple fire retardant drops from the air tanker didn’t stop the flames, and firefighting conditions were “extremely challenging” for almost two days.

Article content

By July 24, winds gusted to 100 kilometres an hour, driving the flames further than firefighters could have predicted, Large said.

“These winds were so strong they lifted a 20-foot Sea-Can (shipping container) weighing over 6,000 pounds, from the Wabosso Campground, and threw it in the Athabasca River which is more than 100 meters away.”

Don’t open the fridge: beware of bears

Coming home and opening up fridges and freezers full of spoiled food isn’t recommended. Jasperites are asked to contact their insurance providers, who are likely to advise taping them up and getting them removed and replaced.

Christine Nadon, incident commander for the town of Jasper, said so far about 100 fridges have been removed. Residents can fill out an application to have broken appliances picked up, as detailed in the municipality’s re-entry guide for residents.

While leaving them outside may be tempting, it will attract bears. At least two moms and two cubs have been seen searching for food in the town.

“There is help to get fridges out of awkward places like basements and absolutely, people should talk to their insurance adjusters. The general guideline is to not open the fridges, tape them shut and get them removed,” Nadon said.

Article content

“Do not remove your own fridges and put them outside. They can be (an) attractant … there are bears in the town site. So that is a must … it could create issues for the bears and for the humans.”

No water, utilities turned off

Many who return to find their home still standing may not have access to water, power and natural gas. Nadon said ATCO had “re-lit” 330 to 350 homes by Friday but others may still not have access to utilities.

“Utilities have been impacted, and repairs will take time,” Nadon said. “Please note that the utilities crews are working as quickly as possible to restore services, and that they sincerely appreciate the patience of Jasper residents.”

Officials have given returning residents maps showing where water is out — homes without water and not noted on the map area asked to contact the command centre. Updates will be available on the municipality’s website.

lboothby@postmedia.com

@laurby

Article content