Uncertainty is giving way to grief for people forced from their homes in Jasper, as more details emerge about the destruction caused by a wildfire that ripped through the mountain town.
A massive wall of flames moved in Wednesday, levelling entire neighbourhoods. Parks Canada officials estimated Friday that 358 of the town’s 1,113 structures — about one-third of all buildings — were destroyed.
Everyone who evacuated from the historic community should soon have answers about the fate of their homes and businesses: park officials are promising to soon release a detailed list of all properties lost in the fire.
Parks Canada officials have urged patience as their crews, with help from newly-arrived troops, continue to battle the flames while also verifying the scope of the damage, house-by-house.
We want to avoid telling people they lost their home when they didn’t, or saying they didn’t lose their home when they did.-Parks Canada
“It takes time to get this information correct, we understand your frustrations and we will publicly share more information when we are in a better position to do so,” Parks Canada said in a statement late Friday.
“We want to avoid telling people they lost their home when they didn’t, or saying they didn’t lose their home when they did.”
It’s unclear when residents will be allowed to return and begin the daunting process of rebuilding destroyed properties and repairing those still standing. The fire is among 164 wildfires burning across the province, as of noon MT Saturday, according to Alberta Wildfire.
Officials from Alberta Wildfire and the Alberta Emergency Management Agency will provide an update on the ongoing wildfire situation at 2 p.m. MT Saturday. Watch it live with CBC News.
Premier Danielle Smith, Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland and federal Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan get a firsthand look Friday at the extensive damage from the wildfire that hit the town of Jasper — including the mayor’s home since childhood. Some of the businesses and homes shown on the tour still smouldered as firefighters hosed down rubble.
The provincial government will host a telephone town hall for wildfire evacuees on Monday from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Details on how to join are available here.
The fire, described as a monster with flames reaching 100 metres high, hit Jasper late Wednesday, scorching portions of the town about 365 kilometres west of Edmonton.
Two wildfires — one north, the other south — had threatened Jasper for days, forcing thousands to evacuate Monday evening as the flames flared dangerously amid powerful winds.
As the southern fire spread across the townsite and beyond, it merged with the northern fire.
What is now called the Jasper Wildfire Complex, which also includes the Utopia wildfire near Miette Hot Springs, had burned an estimated 36,000 hectares as of Thursday night.
The fire continues to burn out of control, but conditions are expected to temporarily calm amid cooler, wet weather in the mountain park this weekend.
Fire crews have been taking advantage of the conditions to make progress on dousing hot spots in smouldering buildings, and along the wildfire perimeter nearest the Jasper townsite.
Troops arrive
Outside the gates of fire-ravaged Jasper National Park, military cargo trucks rumble along the highway, carrying soldiers clad in green camouflage.
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces have arrived to help with the firefighting effort. Soldiers from southwestern Manitoba’s CFB Shilo were the first to arrive Friday night, setting up camp in Hinton, Alta., inside the local recreation centre and arena.
Hinton, a town outside the national park’s eastern gates, became the wildfire centre of operations after most first responders had to evacuate Jasper Wednesday night.
When the Forces respond to a crisis like a wildfire, it is known as Operation Lentus. Troops will be providing logistical support and assisting with firefighting, including dousing hotspots and mopping up areas devastated by the flames.
Troops will spend Saturday morning on forced rest before preparing for deployments on the front lines to fight alongside Alberta firefighters already in the field, said Maj. Colin Carswell, of combat service support company command, based in Shilo.
“We have a great team,” Carswell said, adding that the soldiers, trained for the tasks at hand, are eager to help.
“Once you see the people that are affected, some people or some families that have come in from Jasper that stop and talk to you, you really think about how, if this happened to you, you would want somebody like our team helping them out.”
The troops deploy with three days worth of ready-to-eat meals — what the military calls individual meal packs (IMPs), or rations, he said.
“We are working to, eventually, bring out kitchen trailers to serve fresh meals to the soldiers, so they can have a nice hot meal and a shower in the arena after a long day on the lines with the Alberta wildfires,” Carswell said.