Jasper wildfire: Residents can’t return home yet as town is “not safe,” officials say | FULL
Credit: Global News
Jasper, Alta., officials provided updates during an in-person briefing on Saturday regarding damaged and destroyed structures in the historic town, after a wildfire destroyed about a third of the Alberta mountain town.
“At this time, it is not possible for residents to return to Jasper to view their property or collect their belongings. The townsite is not safe. We are still very early in our recovery process. The chemicals released by structural fire are a serious risk to health,” said Christine Nadon, Jasper municipality incident commander.
“This fire is the largest one that Jasper National Park has recorded in the last 100 years,” added Landon Shepherd, deputy incident commander for Parks Canada. “Currently, we’re going to be working on this wildfire — we expect — over the next three months at least. What the last five years has taught us is that the fire season in Jasper tends to last well into the fall.”
The municipality of Jasper also released a map and address list of damaged and destroyed residences and businesses on their website. In a Friday update, Parks Canada officials confirmed that 358 structures — or about 30 per cent — within the townsite in Jasper National Park were destroyed by the wildfire that burned through the community.


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