Infrastructure damage assessments in the Town of Jasper are ongoing and firefighters continue to put out hotspots along the outskirts of the community and in the trees surrounding it.
Parks Canada reported that as of 12:40 p.m. on Friday, July 26, 358 structures in the community have been destroyed, which is about 30 per cent of the 1,113 structures in the town. The update reinforced that all critical infrastructure in the community was able to be saved, including the hospital, schools and wastewater treatment facility.
“We understand that this is an incredibly difficult and challenging time but our priorities remain addressing the active fire and assessing structural damage in the community,” the update reads.
“We are grateful to our wildfire teams’ efforts to contain the fire and minimize the damage. We appreciate how hard it is to wait for confirmation about your homes.”
There are reported to be 154 firefighters in Jasper, continuing to fight the fire and working toward making it safe for those evacuated from the area to return home.
Fire activity is said to have been reduced thanks to cooler temperatures and overnight showers, but could increase with forecasted winds up to 30 km/h.
The area within the estimated perimeter of the Jasper wildfire complex covers 36,000 hectares. Within that perimeter, officials say there will be areas that are completely burned, partially burned and others that have not been burned at all. This estimated map will be refined by air in the future.
Earlier Friday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith toured the Hinton Command Centre and training centre, alongside federal Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan, Alberta Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis, Alberta Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen, Minister of Forestry and Parks, and Jasper’s mayor Richard Ireland. A visit to Jasper was also on the agenda for the day.