The small town of Jasper, Alberta, was just destroyed by a wildfire that ran through the dry summer vegetation. In the winter, the area is a popular ski hill that brings in much needed tourist dollars.
The town’s mayor, Richard Ireland, surveyed the remains of his own home on Friday while calling out for provincial leaders to reinstate the much-needed fire services that were removed from the community.
Beloved by Celebrities
Among the big names that have vacationed in Jasper are Queen Elizabeth II. Her parents were big fans of staying on the snowy hills of Canada for one of their annual vacations, and young Elizabeth held the area in fond regard.
Several famous movies were filmed in the town, including Marilyn Monroe’s “River of No Return as well as “The Emperor Waltz” that brought Bring Crosby and Joan Fontaine to the legendary golf courses.
Jasper National Park
The town sits on the outskirts of Jasper National Park and is a beloved place for Canadians, Americans, and international tourists.
There are several large lakes and peaks defined by massive glacier movement in the past, making it a beautiful vacation location.
Devastating Effects of the Fire
Tens of thousands of acres of the park and the small town at the base of the park are currently engulfed in flames or reduced to rubble and ash.
Parks Canada, a national agency the oversees park business and safety, said that two large concurrent fires created a wall of flames more than 300 feet high. Combined with ferocious winds earlier this week, the town of Jasper lost 358 of its 1,113 buildings.
Mayor Richard Ireland Speaks Out
As the fire moved on through the town and people are allowed on the scorched grounds to see where their homes once stood, the mayor made a heartbreaking speech.
Mayor Ireland told reporters that “The nature of this fire was such that it humbled the humans on the ground.” He also noted that all necessary precautions were taken to stop the fire form burning and that nothing could have been done differently.
The Threat of Wildfire
The mayor continued in his speech that living so close to nature in the mountains means that wildfire season is one of the many common threats.
“We want to be in the mountains,” he said. “We want to be in nature. And that means our community is exposed to the threat of wildfire. There are lots of forested communities in Alberta that are exposed.” The cause of the wildfire has yet to be determined.
The Park Has Been Closed and Visitors Were Evacuated
The large national park attracts about 2.5 million visitors per year. So far, the fire has claimed more than 140 square miles of land.
More than 20,000 park visitors and around 5,000 Jasper residents were forced to evacuate late Monday while ash was raining down on the town near the blaze.
How Climate Change Plays a Part
Several researches have noted that climate change has increased the risk of large wildfires in Canada. The fire season typically runs from March to October.
The large fires burning across Canada right now have prompted air quality warnings south of the border in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Residents Say Provincial Funding Is the Issue
In recent years, entire towns in Alberta and British Columbia have been decimated by wildfires, so it shouldn’t be news that the area needs to step up funding and infrastructure to fight the annual problem.
However, many residents claims that when Alberta Premier Danielle Smith cut funding for forest fire fighting, she put the town at risk.
Wildland Firefighter Rappel Program
One of the services cut from Alberta’s forest firefighting response was the wildland firefighter rappel program.
It was created in 1983 with a unit of specialized firefighters who wold rappel from helicopters to quickly access remote wildfires. The speed and mobility ensured that fires in the rough Canadian terrain could be extinguished early.
Rain Has Helped the Firefighting Efforts
A sudden douse of rain on the town helped 158 firefighters remain in Jasper to extinguish the rest of the blaze.
The hot dry weather in the region has caused an unexpected turn of events and officials are hoping that this week things might turn around. So far, all of the town’s water-treatment facilities, schools, hospitals, and other important infrastructure have been saved.
