Officials with Jasper National Park have provided an update on the status of the Jasper Complex Wildfire and re-entry efforts for residents.
Crews say while the northern perimeter of the fire is now 99 per cent under control, the rest of the Jasper Complex Wildfire is still classified as out of control and is estimated to still be around 33,000 hectares. Crews also note, the fire around the Kerkeslin Campground has now been fully contained.
Officials say 12 helicopters, including one with a longer range, will continue to conduct air operations throughout the week. Ground crews say they are working on removing downed trees from the Caribou Conservation Breeding facility.
Crews also say they plan to conduct ignition operations along Jasper SkyTram Road if the conditions allow for it. Officials note that ignition operations are used to reduce fire spread by removing fuel, such as downed trees and vegetation, in an attempt to bring the fire down from the steep slope it is currently on, to an area that is safer for crews to work.
All Alberta residents are also being reminded that the use of drones in Jasper National Park is illegal, and anyone caught using one could face serious legal repercussions. Officials say drones flying near a wildfire results in the grounding of incident helicopters that are currently being used for fire suppression operations or emergency responses.
The Jasper Airstrip also remains closed and an airspace restriction is also in effect, with officials saying overflights are strongly discouraged as they interfere with safe incident air operations and must not interfere with NOTAM – Canadian Aircraft Regulation 601.15(a).
The Incident Management Team says they are still making good progress towards meeting all the re-entry criteria, including establishing a minimum level of services needed in order for residents to return safely on Friday, Aug. 16. However, residents are being reminded that this date is dependent on achieving and maintaining re-entry criteria and may be delayed if wildfire activity increases.
Staff say they are prioritizing the return of town residents and will provide more information as it becomes available before Friday.
Crews say all burned vehicles have been removed from the roads, work continues on restoring critical services, water line chlorination is completed and a boil water advisory is in place for the west of town.
Officials say insurance companies will also be completing assessments in town for the next three days.
Updates will continue to be posted to the Jasper National Park Facebook page as well as the Municipality of Jasper website as they become available.
