Rain and cooler temperatures have helped subdue the spread of a massive wildfire that consumed homes in the heart of Jasper National Park.
The fire, described as a monster for its size and intensity, levelled entire neighbourhoods in the Jasper townsite when it roared into the community Wednesday evening.
As details on the scale of the damage begin to emerge, emergency officials are promising to take advantage of a reprieve from the volatile weather conditions that fuelled the flames.
Alberta government officials said Thursday that preliminary estimates suggest 30 to 50 per cent of the town’s structures may have burned.
Officials from Parks Canada, the lead agency on the fire, confirmed many buildings were lost, but declined to comment on the full extent of the damage.
Fire behaviour is expected to calm, at least temporarily, due to wet weather expected in the mountain park this weekend.
A video posted on social media walking the path north past the playground between Cabin Creek Drive and Patricia Street in Jasper, Alta. Credit: Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye / X
Federal officials will provide an update on Alberta’s wildfire situation at 2:30 p.m. MT.
Multiple federal ministers including Steven Guilbeault, environment minister and Harjit Sajjan,emergency preparedness minister, are expected to speak at the news conference.
The fire, which spread into the community from the south, continues to burn out of control and has since merged with a wildfire burning to the north into a single blaze.
The Jasper Wildfire Complex now includes the combined north and south wildfires and the Utopia wildfire near Miette Hot Springs that started July 19.
In all, the flames have burned an estimated 36,000 hectares but mapping the perimeter remains a challenge due to strong winds, extreme fire behaviour, heavy cloud and smoke.
Aircraft have not been able to fly safely and satellite imaging has been obscured by thick cloud cover.
Officials with Jasper National Park, the agency leading the fire-fight, say temperatures cooled and rain started shortly after midnight Wednesday.
Between 10 and 15 mm of rain fell in the park Wednesday leading to minimal spread throughout the day, the agency said.
The precipitation will likely keep fire behaviour low for 72 hours, parks officials said in the statement issued around 10 p.m. MT Thursday.
“Crews will take advantage of this time to make as much progress as possible to suppress the wildfire and reduce further spread. While rain in Jasper is a welcome sight, warm weather is forecasted and will increase wildfire activity.”
Crews are bracing for a long battle with the fire. Officials have said it could take weeks, if not longer, to gain the upper hand.
The fire moved into the townsite on Wednesday, driven by winds of 100 kilometres an hour, spreading rapidly and creating a wall of fire 100 metres high.
Officials have confirmed that the west side of town was the hardest hit. All buildings housing critical infrastructure, including the hospital, schools, and the wastewater treatment plant, are still standing.
There are 173 active wildfires in Alberta as of Friday morning with more than 550,000 hectares burned since the start of wildfire season.
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Officials say up to 50 per cent of the structures in Jasper, Alta., have been destroyed as crews try to push back a wildfire that’s still threatening the community.