A fire near Jasper, Alta. has reached about 400 hectares as of Saturday afternoon. (Parks Canada)

By Canadian Press

1500 hectares as of sunday morning

Crews battling wildfire north of Jasper

Sep 3, 2022 | 2:10 PM

**Author’s note: This story may at times be outdated, but will be updated as rdnewsNOW is able. The very latest is at wildfire.alberta.ca.

JASPER, ALTA., Sept. 4, 9 a.m. — Parks Canada officials say crews continue to suppress the Chetamon wildfire to reinforce protection lines.

The fire has grown from 400 hectares on Saturday morning to 1,500 as of 9 a.m. Sunday.

“Smoke is obscuring parts of the fire but the current size is estimated to be approximately 1,500 hectares. Along the powerline the wildfire is spreading across steep slopes and remains 400 metres from the powerline. On Saturday, wind pushed flames into upper slopes of the Vine Creek valley,” a release states.

“On Sunday, the top priority is to further protect critical infrastructure with improvements to control features and applying additional helicopters for bucketing suppression. Specialized structural protection contractors are installing high-volume sprinklers along critical infrastructure and at visitor facilities. The Moberly Homestead, a culturally significant Indigenous area, is fully outfitted with sprinklers and is currently more than one kilometre away from the wildfire’s perimeter.”

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Eight helicopters are now dedicated to the fight, as are 77 Parks Canada firefighters and personnel, along with pilots and contractors.

Parks Canada says no communities are at risk from this lightning-caused wildfire.

However, residents should be prepared for a power outage in the event that Jasper’s power supply is damaged.

To prepare yourself in advance of a possible power outage, take inventory of the items you need that rely on electricity. For updates from the municipality, follow the Municipality of Jasper on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/municipalityofjasper

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Sept. 3, 2 p.m. — Officials with Jasper National Park say specialized crews have begun creating fire control lines to protect a utility line that supplies electricity to the Jasper townsite.

Parks Canada says in a news release on Saturday that helicopters took off at sunrise to continue bucketing water onto the lower parts of the Chetamon Peak wildfire.

The blaze was sparked by lightning early Thursday and has grown to 400 hectares, fanned by winds and burning approximately 16 km north of the townsite.

The news release says winds have been blowing the fire northeast, away from the community.

“No communities are at risk from this lightning-caused wildfire that started at approximately 1:30 a.m. Thursday, September 1,” the release states.

Parks Canada says it will have a full National Incident Management Team in place on Sunday to provide additional emergency response capacity.

Environment Canada has issued a special air quality statement for areas around the wildfire in Jasper National Park, extending to Hinton, outside the park’s boundary.