Premier Danielle Smith leaves a briefing at the fire command centre in Hinton, Alta., on Friday July 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken

By Canadian Press, Eli J. Ridder

DEVELOPING

One-third of Jasper townsite destroyed by wildfire, Cypress County on standby to help

Jul 26, 2024 | 5:01 PM

One-third of all structures in the townsite of Jasper are gone after burning to the ground in this week’s wildfire, officials confirmed Friday.

Premier Danielle Smith said 358 of 1,113 structures in the picturesque Rocky Mountain resort community were destroyed by Wednesday’s wildfire. Seven buildings were damaged.

The structures were homes and businesses.

Smith said critical infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and water treatment services, remain intact.

“It was the hard work of firefighters and front-line workers who protected Jasper from even more damage,” Smith told reporters at a news conference near the eastern gate of Jasper National Park.

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Smith said it will be a while before residents will be allowed back, but there is no definite timeline as the fire is still raging in the park.

Smith said they have to make sure gas pipelines are not damaged. She said power and electricity have to be turned on again.

The wildfire would also need to be tamed so that stray embers don’t reignite another tragedy.

“This is not a fast process,” Smith said.

About 25,000 people, including all of the town’s 5,000 residents, were forced to flee the fires Monday night.

Cypress County at the ready

Cypress County is on standby Friday to send back up to help fight a wildfire that has damaged parts of Jasper and the park surrounding it.

The county prepared a small response team after the Alberta Emergency Management Agency requested aid Wednesday evening, municipal services director Joe Cartwright told CHAT News.

Cypress County was on standby Friday to send a fire crew to help in Jasper. File Photo/CHAT News

“We prepared to send one engine unit with four fire fighters, one from each of our major stations, so Elkwater Irvin, Dunmore and Buck Springs, with the engine coming out of Suffield,” Cartwright said.

“We are on standby, so we’re just waiting for the call from AEMA,” he added.

The City of Medicine Hat’s fire services has not received a request for help from the province, a spokesperson confirmed to CHAT News.

Jasper fires could cost $7M

A new report from DBRS Morningstar estimates the potential insured losses of the Jasper wildfires at up to $700 million.

The credit ratings agency says it believes potential insured losses from this week’s disaster could come close to or even be higher than those incurred in the Slave Lake, Alta. wildfire in 2011, which — adjusted for inflation — reached about $700 million.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has estimated that between 30 and 50 per cent of the buildings in the town of Jasper may have been destroyed in this week’s blaze.

DBRS says because Jasper National Park is one of the most popular tourism destinations in Canada, insurers may also face additional business claims with respect to commercial building and business interruption losses.

DBRS says while the situation is serious, it expects the ongoing 2024 wildfire season to be manageable for Canada’s property and casualty insurers as long as no major urban areas are materially affected.

The costliest wildfire in Canadian history was the Fort McMurray, Alta. wildfire of 2016, which resulted in inflation-adjusted insured losses of $4.4 billion.

CN Rail resumes shipments through Jasper

Canadian National Railway Co. says it has restarted rail shipments through Jasper National Park.

Canada’s largest railroad operator suspended operations in the Jasper area Wednesday afternoon as wildfires raged through the Alberta park and destroyed structures in the townsite.

The halt had Canadian ports prepared for a slowdown in the movement of goods, as Jasper is located along one of the country’s key supply chain corridors.

But CN said Friday morning it has inspected its infrastructure in the region and, in consultation with Parks Canada, was able to resume rail traffic.

CN says it continues to monitor weather and fire movements in the area.

CN’s main line runs through the park before it continues west to the export hubs of Vancouver and Prince Rupert and east to the rest of the country.

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