As many as half of Jasper's buildings have burned to ashes, says tearful premier

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says early reports indicate a third and perhaps up to half of all buildings in the historic Rocky Mountain resort town of Jasper have burned in a wildfire.

"You've seen the images as I have,” Smith said Thursday.

“We’re seeing potentially 30 to 50 per cent structural damage to give you some idea.

“We don't know which structures have been damaged and which ones have been destroyed, but that's going to be a significant rebuild."

Smith made the comments after fighting back tears at a news conference as she sought to console residents who were evacuated from the townsite and now face significant hardship when they return.

“We share the sense of loss with all of those who live in the town, who care for it, and who have helped build it,” Smith said.

“And to those in Alberta and around the world who have experienced the magic of Jasper: The magic is not lost, and it never will be.”

Parks Canada, in a statement said it will provide details on lost structures when it can accurately and responsibly confirm what burned. But it says crews continue to battle a swift and dynamic fire in Jasper National Park.

“Jasper National Park received a small amount of rain overnight,” said the statement.

“While the rain helped reduce fire activity slightly, it is not enough to have made a meaningful impact to the overall wildfire situation, which remains out of control.”

Images surfacing on social media depicted blocks of homes and businesses burned to charred foundations and vehicles torched to the hubcaps.

Calgary, along with fire crews from Edmonton and Sherwood Park dispatched resources to the fire scene.

The province has asked for help from the Canadian Armed Forces, and the federal government has said aid is on the way.

The staging area was the town of Hinton, on the eastern outskirts of Jasper National Park.

In Hinton Thursday rain fell and wood smoke hung in the air at the roadblock preventing vehicles from entering the park. Five officials in bright neon yellow vests directed traffic. The only vehicle that was seen going through was a fire truck.

Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland, in an open letter to residents, said, “In the coming days and weeks, we will rally together, support one another and begin the daunting process of recovery.”

About 20,000 park visitors and the 5,000 residents of the Jasper municipality had to flee on a moment’s notice Monday night ahead of two wildfires that cut off road access everywhere but west to British Columbia.

A day later they were directed to loop back to Alberta as British Columbia, dealing with its own fires, did not have the capacity to assist.

Those without a place to stay have been directed to evacuation centres in Grande Prairie and Calgary.

Crews lost the fight to save Jasper Wednesday just after 6 p.m., as waves of orange and red breached the southern outskirts and began devouring homes and livelihoods.

Frantic efforts to contain the fires -- including buckets and fire guards and a last-ditch effort to burn a path from the southern fire to the river and highway -- were foiled by high winds.

“That wind gust moved that fire five kilometres in probably less than 30 minutes, with a wall of fire that was about 100 metres high,” said Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis.

“There is little to nothing you can do when you have a wall of flames coming at you like that.”

“Nobody anticipated that fire to come so fast, so large and so quickly.”

Pierre Martel, who oversees fire management with Parks Canada, echoed Ellis.

“There are no tools we have in our toolbox to deal with that,” Martel told an online news conference.

“It’s just a monster at that point.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2024.

-- with files from Jeremy Simes in Regina and Fakiha Baig in Hinton