Officials with Jasper National Park provided an update on the Jasper Complex Wildfire as of 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31.
Crews say strong winds caused an increase in fire activity as expected, concentrated mostly on the southern end of the fire and that they were able to limit the spread to other areas. With warmer and dryer temperatures in the forecast, crews say extreme fire behavior may begin as early as Thursday, Aug. 1 and as such, protecting critical infrastructure remains their top priority.
Officials are reminding residents that even though fire activity has remained relatively low in the last few days, the risk to the municipality of Jasper is still very real. Crews have taken time during these periods of low activity to set up protections, including a 12-inch high-volume sprinkler system, using heaving equipment to construct firebreaks and removing unburned forest fuels through controlled, small-scale ignitions.
Officials are estimating that over 1,100 personnel have directly supported this incident since it began, including Parks Canada staff from nearly every province and territory, and wildland firefighters from BC Wildfire Services, Alberta Wildfire, Ontario, Yukon and Northwest Territories.
According to the Alberta RCMP, access through Jasper National Park via Highway 16 for commercial vehicles began at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31. The RCMP say commercial vehicles are defined as trucks, tractors, trailers, or any combination thereof, with registered gross vehicle weight exceeding 11,794 kilograms.
In order to ensure safety, Mounties say the highway will only be open during the following times (all times in Mountain Daylight Time.)
- 5:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
- 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- 8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Officials note these times are subject to fire behavior and operational needs, and as such, are subject to change without notice. Mounties have checkpoints set up on Highway 16 for both directions and are asking drivers to stop and identify themselves before proceeding.
Updates will continue to be posted to the Jasper National Park Facebook page, the Town of Jasper Facebook page, the YourAlberta (Government of Alberta) Facebook page, the Municipality of Jasper website and the Emergency Alert section of the Government of Alberta website as they become available.
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