Increased fire behaviour forces closure of highway, timeline for re-entry still unavailable
A wildfire that ravaged the townsite of Jasper continues to burn out of control and recent hot, dry conditions have created more challenges for firefighters actioning the massive blaze.
The increased fire behaviour—the blaze grew by approximately 7,500 hectares in two days, according to officials—means the excruciating wait for Jasperites desperate to return to their community will be extended.
“We understand and appreciate your desire to come home,” the Municipality of Jasper said in a July 31 statement. “We know and hear that residents want to come home and we will make that happen when it is safe to do so.”
Approximately 750 emergency personnel across different departments and agencies are working concurrently to fight the 32,000 ha fire and to help create conditions which would allow an eventual re-entry into the townsite for residents wanting to see the state of their damaged homes and businesses.
“A safe and secure townsite is priority number one,” said Steve Blake, liaison officer with Parks Canada. “[But] there is no date on the calendar yet.”
Hampering the efforts of securing hazards—such as fencing destroyed buildings, capping gas lines and removing compromised trees—on August 2 the fire gained new power, forcing the closure of Highway 16 after the corridor briefly opened for commercial traffic. Non-essential personnel were also once again evacuated from the townsite in the interest of their safety. The highway was scheduled for re-opening August 3 after crews, with helicopter assistance, beat the north wildfire back all afternoon.
“Fire activity is getting lively,” said Incident Commander Dean MacDonald during an afternoon stakeholder update August 2. “It could increase in size and diameter.”
On Friday, most of that growth was taking place on the south end of the fire, where it is not being actively suppressed, MacDonald said. While cooler conditions Tuesday and Wednesday allowed fire crews to make significant progress on establishing control lines and further increasing the protection around the townsite’s perimeter, and to the north of the townsite, the extreme fire conditions and resulting flare-ups will complicate firefighters’ goal of keeping the south fire from jumping the Icefields Parkway.
“We’re trying to tie that big bay of fuel from the fire perimeter down to the road…that’s meant to keep that fire on the east side of the highway,” MacDonald said.
Until the increased fire behaviour Thursday and Friday, progress on securing the townsite was moving forward at a rapid pace, said the Municipality’s CAO, Bill Given. More than 10 kilometres of fencing has been brought into Jasper to enclose more than 350 destroyed building sites—including those ravaged by fire and those bulldozed to save other infrastructure.
“The fencing is going up in the townsite, the goal is to have the fencing 100 percent complete by August 4,” Given said.
On Monday, July 29, the Jasper Emergency Advisory Committee approved a set of criteria to guide the Municipality of Jasper in its re-entry plans. Those criteria include ensuring the wildfire does not pose a threat to the townsite; ensuring hazards in the townsite are secured; restoring emergency services (ex. RCMP, 911 dispatch); bringing critical services (ex. healthcare and utilities) online; establishing critical retail (ex. groceries, gas, pharmacy); and approving a formal re-entry plan.
“We are starting to make some milestones,” Blake said. “We’re working in harmony with other essential services, and we’re not waiting for one thing do be done before we tee up something else.”
Although the recent wildfire activity will push any potential timeline further down the road, there are wheels in motion to facilitate a bus visit of the damaged community for residents. Those who lost their homes and businesses will be prioritized, Given said.
“We want to ensure that first we give that opportunity for people who may need some emotional closure to see first hand, for those who wish to.”
To facilitate a visit, the Government of Alberta has started a list for which Jasper residents can sign up.
Town Hall Wrap Up
On July 29 the Alberta Government, along with personnel from the unified Incident Command team representing Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper, facilitated a telephone town hall for Jasperites affected by the wildfires.
The town hall was an opportunity to get an update on the wildfire situation and get answers to a broad spectrum of questions around re-entry, government supports and available resources.
At that conference, Alberta Premiere Danielle Smith said that her government would be there for the eventual rebuilding of Jasper, suggesting the province could assist the federal government in an advisory role to fast-track building permits and help identify land in the community where temporary housing could be set up. She also promised to establish a working group, through West Yellowhead MLA Martin Long’s office, for Jasper businesses whose operations have been affected. Smith also pledged to funnel donated resources to the Jasper Community Team Society’s Caring Community Fund.
“We’ll make sure local resources are the ones receiving support,” Smith said.
Smith, along with Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis and Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services, Jason Nixon, were on the line with members of their respective staffs to help field residents’ concerns. Senior staff with the MOJ and Parks Canada were also available to answer questions.
Frustrated tenants
One resident called in with a question about the obligation to pay rent while under an evacuation order. The government representative said the responsibility to pay rent remains, although there are cases in which a rental unit is destroyed or damaged beyond repair and a rental agreement is deemed to be “frustrated.” For more information, Jasperites were encouraged to email rta@gov.ab.ca or call 1-877-427-4088.
Marshalling the adjusters
Some clarity was requested regarding insurance claims. A Fire Marshall’s report is not required for insurance purposes, as one caller had understood. Representatives advised the caller that insurance adjusters were still waiting to access the community and that claims would be expedited after that step had taken place.
Helping hands
Residents keen on joining the imminent and immense clean up efforts in Jasper were told there are protocols in place and that certain criteria—mostly regarding site safety—will have to be met before volunteers will be allowed in to help clean up. To get on the list, individuals, companies or organizations can email assist@jasper-alberta.ca and also sign up with the province’s database at emergencysupportoffers@gov.ab.ca to email their offers.
Retrieving personal items
Many visitors camping or hiking in Jasper National Park during the evacuation were forced to flee without their RVs, trailers and vehicles. Some backcountry users left their car at hiking trailheads or other Parks Canada facilities. Unfortunately, until Jasper National Park is safe to re-enter, and Parks Canada has cleared access to its facilities, a timeline for retrieving vehicles is simply not available, Blake said.
“Our ability to make campgrounds safe will be aligned with the town’s timing,” he said.
In the meantime, when conditions allow, the plan is for Parks Canada personnel to inventory all vehicles left in the park and contact owners through automobile registries.
Visitors who left essential documents, like a passport or medication that they need to be collected from the townsite, can call Jasper Bylaw at 780-852-5518 or email bylaw@jasper-alberta.ca
Permit push
A question arose about the community’s rebuild, when conditions allow. Will Jasper’s realty department expedite the notoriously bureaucratic permitting process, a caller wondered? Parks Canada Liaison Officer Steve Blake suggested the unprecedented situation will require unprecedented resources.
“We’ll need to double, triple and quadruple our capacity in terms of managing the permit process,” Blake said.
Premier Smith also used the opportunity to promise she’d “find ways” to speed things up; and Minister Ellis acknowledged as much work as possible will have to start before the winter freeze sets up.
“We will be in a hurry, I can assure you, pushing back to whatever you determine as normal as quickly as we can,” he said.
Police presence
A question about protection from potential looters while the town is empty of residents was answered decisively: RCMP have check-points at all access points to the community and are actively patrolling the townsite. Such concerns are “top of mind,” a representative assured the room.
Property inspections
CAO Bill Given answered a question about an opportunity to examine what remains of destroyed properties. The caller was asking about looking for potentially sensitive or high-value items. Given said because of the hazards that exist on fire-ravaged homes (exposure to toxic fumes, for example), the “sifting” work must be done in conjunction with professionals. However, he said, residents and/or business owners will have the opportunity to guide and influence that examination.
“We will ensure nothing is removed before the home owner or leaseholder has an opportunity to influence that,” Given said.
No visitor offer until September 3
Because Parks Canada is triaging the wildfire and re-entry process, the agency is being up front about putting services for visitors—including campground services—on the back burner.
“Our planning horizon is September 3, and we’re not even giving a second thought to any type of visitor offer before that,” Liaison Officer Steve Blake said.
Blake delivered the news at a July 30 stakeholder information meeting. At an August 2 meeting for stakeholders, Jasper National Park Superintendent Alan Fehr reiterated the message, noting their partners in Banff National Park would be helping Jasper reintroduce visitor services at the Columbia Icefields Area. Backcountry guiding enterprises and businesses that utilize Jasper’s wilderness will unfortunately have to cut their losses, Blake said.
“I’d venture a guess that those types of services will be done for the season,” he said. “Although I’d love to eat crow on that one.”
Blake tried to keep residents’ spirits as high as they can be at this difficult time.
“As much as it was devastating to look at the destruction, we will have a version of the Jasper we know and understand in the near future,” he said.
Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com
