Wildfire in Jasper National Park could burn for months, Canadian official says

JASPER, Alberta (AP) — A wildfire that has destroyed hundreds of structures in the town of Jasper is the largest blaze recorded in Jasper National Park in a century and could still be burning months from now, a Parks Canada official said Saturday.

“We’re going to be working on this wildfire, we expect, over the next three months at least,” Landon Shepherd, a deputy incident commander, said at a news conference in the nearby community of Hinton. “What the last five years has taught us is that the fire season in Jasper tends to last well into the fall.”

The region received about 1.2 centimeters (close to a half inch) of rain over about a day and a half but there were still active hot spots near the community.

More than 20,000 people in and around the town nestled in the Rocky Mountains in Alberta province were ordered to evacuate late Monday due to fast-moving wildfires. Parks Canada has said 358 of the town’s 1,113 structures were destroyed.

In an online update, Parks Canada said fire suppression has been progressing well in the town.

The federal agency said power is being restored to parts of the downtown core and to critical infrastructure, which it said would help to speed up further damage assessment and recovery.