The monster of Jasper

Its a jewel of Canadas national parks, with a tiny picturesque townsite nestled in the forested folds of Albertas Rocky Mountains. Now, parts of Jasper are a scorched landscape with years if not decades of recovery ahead. On July 22, 2024, thousands of Jasper residents and tourists were ordered to evacuate as wildfires started by lightning and fuelled by catastrophic drought conditions  threatened the town and the surrounding national park. 

Within 48 hours, firefighters faced a nighttime battle against a wall of flames propelled through surrounding valleys by howling winds. By morning, when the sun rose above Roche Bonhomme, about one-third of the townsite was rubble, with many more buildings damaged. Heres a more detailed look at that timeline.

July was a dry, hot month in the Jasper area with temperatures eclipsing 30 C some days. Parks Canada issued a fire ban for Jasper National Park on July 12, when the fire danger in the park increased to extreme levels.

As the days ticked by, fire crews dealt with wildfires that popped up, including the lightning-caused Utopia wildfire that sparked at 10:30 p.m. MT on July 18 near Miette Hot Springs. Firefighters kept it in check over a few days. And it remained covered less than two hectares by the afternoon of July 22.

That evening, around 7 p.m., another wildfire about nine kilometres north of Jasper ignited. Within 40 minutes of Parks Canada crews leaving to suppress that fire, two more were reported south of town.

The fires were believed to have been caused by lightning.

Parks Canada firefighters were responding to multiple new wildfire starts in the national park, according to a Facebook post at 8:03 p.m. The public was advised to monitor Alberta 511 for road conditions and closures.

A short time later, the evacuation order was issued.  

Before 9:45 p.m. on July 22, fewer than three hours after the north and south wildfires ignited, the Municipality of Jasper declared a state of emergency.

At 9:59 p.m. MT, the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA), which leads disaster preparedness and response in the province, issued an evacuation order for Jasper and the surrounding area due to the south wildfire. The order was extended to the entire national park fewer than 20 minutes later.

Days later, Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland became emotional while reflecting on how an evacuation order issued days earlier likely saved thousands of lives.

The people have been saved and that is significant, Ireland said at a news conference. We can find a way to rebuild. We can find each other to hug again, because we all got out."

An estimated 25,000 people fled the national park, including the roughly 5,000 residents of Jasper. The north and south fires threatened two of the three highways, so most traffic was directed west on Highway 16 to B.C.

In the early hours of July 23, several communities set up centres for evacuees, including in Valemount, B.C. Its welcome centre ran out of room within a few hours.

The town of Jasper was completely evacuated before 5 p.m. on July 23, but park officials were still searching for backcountry campers, who would have had little to no access to news about what was going on.

The national park has more than 2,000 individual campsites and 90 backcountry campgrounds. By the early afternoon of July 24, crews evacuated 245 people from the backcountry, many by helicopter or boat.

CBC News obtained footage captured by a backcountry camper as they flew past large billowing smoke clouds emanating from a mountainside, while flames devoured the brush below.

As the flames neared Jaspers doorstep on July 24, many first responders were relocated to Hinton, Alta. A convoy of RCMP vehicles was seen driving east on Highway 16, away from the scene.

This decision has not been made lightly, according to a joint statement from municipal and Parks Canada officials.

Parks Canada aircraft were in the air at dawn on July 23 to examine the wildfire. An incident management team and additional firefighting resources and aircraft were already en route.

By late afternoon, officials estimated the north wildfire was on both sides of Highway 16 a critical transportation route in western Canada and  had burned at least 270 hectares.

The south wildfire, meanwhile, had burned at least 6,750 hectares. It was about 12 kilometres from Jasper, threatening a couple of campgrounds and the Icefields Parkway, the main highway that branches from Highway 16 and heads south of Jasper to Banff and Lake Louise.

At the time, models suggested the fire could reach the town in four days, according to Alberta Forestry, Parks and Tourism Minister Todd Loewen.

That would be a fairly conservative guess, actually, Loewen said while on CBCs Power and Politics.

Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis warned that wind could make the situation worse. It did.

By early afternoon on July 24, the south fire had grown to 10,800 hectares and was about eight kilometres from town. The north fire was about five kilometres away.

Gusts upward of 100 km/h pushed the southern flames toward Jasper, reaching the towns outskirts about 6 p.m.

About 40 minutes later, parts of town were aflame.

Firefighters in Jasper faced a monster with flames rising 100 metres or higher. Its embers drifted onto rooftops, igniting other fires in town. Wildfire specialists believe the fire was so intense, it likely created its own weather system a pyrocumulonimbus cloud.

By 8:30 p.m. on July 24, the smoke had deteriorated air quality so much that wildland firefighters and other personnel without breathing apparatuses were forced to flee to Hinton.

A core of structural firefighters stayed in town, eight of whom lost their homes while protecting the town.

Jasper fire chief Mathew Conte was among them. When he spotted that flames had spread to his house, the town was already hit hard and the team was falling back to a more defensive position in east Jasper.

"We had to make the call just to move out of the area and let things go," Conte later said.

Requests for help went out to 34 other municipal fire departments.

The federal government approved the Alberta governments request for aid and started mobilizing firefighting resources, aerial support and help to evacuate communities, including members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Meanwhile, a sense of dread, grief and uncertainty filled the public, as people wondered how much of the historic townsite would remain or if it would survive at all.

Crews made it through that night without casualties though that tragically would not remain the case as the wildfire fight continued in the park days later.

On Aug. 3, a 24-year-old firefighter was fatally injured when he was struck by a falling tree while fighting the wildfires. He was later identified as Morgan Kitchen of Calgary.

A day later, first responders and Parks Canada officials attended a procession for Kitchen. 

On July 26, a few media members joined Parks Canada, government and emergency officials on the first tour of the town since the fire destroyed about one-third of the towns buildings.

Officials estimated that 358 of the 1,113 total structures were destroyed, but further damage assessments would be needed to determine the full toll.

Critical infrastructure buildings, such as the wastewater treatment plant and hospital were saved. Some utilities were damaged; CN Rail suspended operations in Jasper.

Damaged areas looked like torched wastelands.

Along Jaspers main street of Connaught Drive, rows of business buildings appeared untouched until a hill of rubble appeared where a handful of businesses once stood.

Half-baked silver puddles dribbled from scorched vehicle skeletons parked on the ash-covered streets. Blackened tree trunks leaned upright, with lighter circles indicating where branches used to be. Foundations, filled with melted debris, were the only remnants of hundreds of homes including Mayor Irelands.

While staring into what used to be a basement, Ireland recognized a cabinet that held his income tax records. He remembered that, somewhere in the pile, there was a photo of himself as a toddler sitting on moving boxes with a cake. His family moved in shortly before his second birthday.

"Now it's memories of family and fire," he said. "So many others are going to go through this same thing."

On July 27, the Municipality of Jasper released a map and list of addresses of structures in town, assessing their damage based on what could be seen from the street. The west side sustained the most destruction; more than half of the destroyed buildings were on three streets.

Parks Canada released a similar map on Aug. 1, showing which accommodations and infrastructure outside the townsite were damaged.

Residents have since been allowed to register for a bus tour through the town to get their own look at the damage. During that tour there were signs of hope Jasper the Bear was still standing, and much of the commercial district and landmark buildings like the Athabasca Hotel remained. Wildlife crept through the streets nibbling on grass.   

The south fire eventually merged with the north fire. They, plus the Utopia wildfire, make up the Jasper Wildfire Complex. Combined, the group has burned more than 32,000 hectares the largest wildfire in the national park in more than a century.

Alan Fehr, Parks Canada's superintendent for Jasper National Park, reflected on the wildfire while en route to Jasper for a second, more expansive tour with media members on July 28.

Wildfire is a natural process, Fehr said. But the toll this one had on Jasper was shattering.

The Alberta government opened its evacuation payment program early for Jasper residents, recognizing it could be weeks before they get to return to their community.

The Canadian Red Cross raised more than $674,000 through the Alberta Day of Caring it organized for July 31. The federal and Alberta governments matched money donations to the Red Cross 2024 Alberta Fires Appeal, which raised more than $10.3 million as of Aug. 9.

On Aug. 2, the Red Cross started handing out financial support to Jasper evacuees.

In the aftermath, people have lauded the foresight of Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper for their investments in fire prevention.

Yet, officials and environmental researchers have also noted how climate change abetted the fire creating the weather conditions that fed the flames, as well as welcoming mountain pine beetle, an infectious species, to spread and feed off the local forests.

Since the fire reached Jasper, people from all around the world have shared memories they have made there. The national park and townsite, nestled in a mountain valley, are iconic destinations in Canada and UNESCO heritage sites, drawing visitors worldwide.

There is also a sense of uncertainty about just what the national park will look like in years to come.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was among those expressing a sense of loss. During a news conference on July 25, Smith fought back tears while recalling her family's traditions in the area that were passed down for generations.

The flames in the town of Jasper are now extinguished, although the flames still burn out of control in the national park. Parks Canada officials believe crews may fight the wildfire for a few months at least.

Highway 16 reopened to all traffic through the park on Aug. 9 between 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., though vehicles are not allowed to stop in the park. The highway had previously partially reopened to commercial traffic; the new time limits apply to those vehicles now, too, and drivers are warned fire conditions could close the highway.

The Icefields Parkway, a scenic route past the Columbia Icefields reopened Aug. 8 to the public from Saskatchewan Crossing to the Icefield Centre area, around the Athabasca Glacier. It remains inaccessible from Jasper.  

In Jasper, crews are preparing for residents to return clearing debris, axing damaged trees and fencing off destroyed properties. Power is being restored and water supply and systems are being tested.

Government and parks officials developed a list of criteria required for residents to return to Jasper, such as improved air quality and restoring emergency services.

There is no timetable yet for people to go home.

As residents wait, the focus is starting to shift toward how the community will rebuild.

Writer: Nicholas Frew | Editor: Juris Graney | Developer: Dwight Friesen
Visuals: Sam Brooks | Graphics: Graeme Bruce