Crews are bracing for a prolonged battle with the wildfire that devastated Jasper and that continues to rage within the boundary of Jasper National Park.
Weekend rain helped stifle the flames, but the fire continues to burn out of control. Despite a brief break in the summer heat that provided a reprieve to crews on the frontline, the fire is expected to continue burning long after it’s deemed safe for hundreds of evacuated residents to return home.
Landon Shepherd, Parks Canada incident commander, said progress has been made in protecting the community from further damage, but the fire will remain a threat on the park’s landscape for weeks, if not months.
“The long-term prognosis is maybe a little bit less rosy in terms of overall control of the wildfire,” Shepherd said during a news conference Tuesday.
“We’re expecting that the fire season will continue, like it has for the last five fire seasons, where it may extend right into early November.”
“We’re geared up and braced that we might be dealing with wildfire for as long as that. And we’re hoping to continue to get assistance from Mother Nature.”
He said the focus now is ensuring the fire does not flare up again. A fire of this magnitude and strength must be methodically extinguished, he said.
The fire can smoulder deep underground with hidden hot spots that can rise to the surface when conditions again become hot and dry.
Portions of the fire will remain out of control, even when evacuation orders are lifted, he said.
He said the most dangerous parts of the fire, however, must be considered under control, before the gates to the park open to residents.
“It’s initially a fast pass to sort of knock down things that are moving quickly, but then it’s about following up with rooting out any of those heat sources.
“When we have the drought conditions that we’re dealing with, it’s a slow or painful process … especially when the stakes are as high as they are.”
Parks officials said favourable weather conditions, including cooler temperatures and heavy rain over the weekend helped crews make progress in dousing hot spots and protecting critical infrastructure both inside and outside of the townsite.
More than 20,000 people were evacuated from Jasper National Park two weeks ago as fires burning to the north and south moved in.
Two days later, sheets of orange flames, fanned by severe winds and arid conditions, crossed into the townsite, burning entire neighbourhoods to the ground.
By morning, about one-third of the townsite — 358 of the town’s 1,113 structures — were destroyed.
Despite the reprieve provided by the weather, officials have cautioned that the fire could burn for weeks, if not months.
The flames have now incinerated 34,000 hectares and continue to burn out of control.
WATCH | Jasper’s wildfire damage and the fight to save community:
The National gets an up close look at the wildfire damage in Jasper, Alta., the firefighting efforts to save as much of the community as possible and why it’s expected to take so long for residents to return home.
Planning for a phased re-entry have slowly ramped up. While evacuation orders remain in effect across the national park, residents of the townsite are now being allowed to survey the damage firsthand.
Bus tours of the devastation for residents whose homes were lost or damaged began Monday. About 259 households have registered for the tours, representing around 563 individual Jasper residents.
The tours were temporarily postponed temporarily on Sunday due to the death of a firefighter on the front lines.
A 24-year-old Calgary man who had been fighting the flames northeast of town was fatally injured Saturday by a falling tree.
The man — who RCMP say was part of the Rocky Mountain House Fire Base — was among hundreds of firefighters who are in Alberta to fight the massive wildfires affecting the province.
Reception centres in Grande Prairie, Calgary and Edmonton continue to provide support for evacuees.
The province and Alberta wildfire officials are holding a telephone town hall for wildfire evacuees on Tuesday evening from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Evacuees can join online at alberta.ca/emergency or by phone at 1-833-380-0691.