Photo gallery: On the ground and in the air
Environment, News
By Bob Covey
Friday, September 16, 2022
Photo gallery: On the ground and in the air

Firefighting efforts will continue for coming weeks. More rain needed

Photogallery and timeline of the Chetamon wildfire. Thanks to Parks Canada photographers including Kevin Gedling, Janelle Verbruggen and Karly Savoy, plus firefighting and ATCO personnel who shared their images with the incident command team.

Ignited by lightning strike during an August 31 storm, a wildfire on Chetamon Mountain was spotted by motorists in the pre-dawn hours on Thursday, September 1. The fire had been detected by Parks Canada officials at approximately 1:30 a.m. and actioned as soon as there was enough light for aircraft to fly. The intense nature of the fire and steep, remote terrain prevented personnel from fighting the fire on the ground. // Submitted photo
Over the weekend, thanks to warm weather and high winds, the Chetamon wildfire grew to nearly 8,000 hectares. On Monday morning at approximately 4 a.m., it damaged the ATCO electricity transmission line which connects Jasper to the provincial power grid, knocking out power to the community and surrounding properties. // Jailin Bertolin
Smoke and flames over the Athabasca River on September 4. // Parks Canada photo
On September 4, as power was first knocked out in the Jasper townsite, the sky above Jasper Lake was illuminated. // Parks Canada photo
September 2
September 6
Historical structures at the former Moberly homestead, near the Athabasca River, were protected with sprinkler systems. // Parks Canada photo

Helicopter bucketing was immediate and ongoing. Parks Canada eventually employed the use of eight helicopters, along with more than 125 firefighting personnel. // Parks Canada photo
The Government of Alberta deployed fire retardant on September 8. The retardant is a mixture of water and chemicals (mainly phosphorus) which helps contain the spread of fire and allows personnel and equipment to access key sites from which they can better fight the fire// Parks Canada photo.
Retardant line along the fire’s flank. // Parks Canada photo
CN train cars on September 9. // Parks Canada photo
Firefighters accessed the Athabasca River, from which they pumped water to fight the fire. On September 10 hot and dry conditions increased the fire’s intensity. // Parks Canada photo
Firefighters douse suspected hot spots on September 12. // Parks Canada photos
September 6
September 6
September 10
ATCO’s transmission lines, which were erected in 2018 after Jasper’s natural gas-fired power plant was decommissioned in 2018, were damaged by the wildfire on September 4. Work to rebuild them was conducted by ATCO crews while the fire was still being fought. Power was restored to the townsite on September 14. // ATCO Electric photos
As firefighters “locked down” the north and south perimeters of the fire, fire fighting activity focused on eliminating hot spots. Although Jasper has received rain, areas northeast of the Snaring River have received negligible precipitation. // Parks Canada photo
Firefighting efforts will continue over the next several weeks. Six helicopters continue to bucket in more inaccessible terrain. No communities are threatened by the wildfire, Parks Canada said on September 16. // Parks Canada photo
After safe, stable and reliable power was restored to the community on September 14, Jasper stakeholders were eager to put the message out that visitors are welcome back to Jasper National Park. // Parks Canada
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