‘Out of control’ wildfire grows to nearly 8,000 hectares, power out in Jasper
Posted Sep 5, 2022 5:38 pm.
Last Updated Sep 5, 2022 5:41 pm.
The Chetamon Mountain wildfire grew to nearly 8,000 hectares on Monday, forcing the Municipality of Jasper to lose power.
At around 4 a.m., the wildfire burning 22 kilometres north of Jasper damaged power lines in the area, which forced the power to go out.
The current size of the fire is obscured by smoke, but Jasper National Park estimates it has grown to be 8,000 hectares in size, and grew significantly into Snake Indian Valley on Sunday.
The national park said that no communities are at risk at this time, however, the wildfire is rated as “out-of-control.”
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ATCO was able to bring power to critical infrastructure, according to a Facebook post on the Municipality of Jasper page.
It says that since critical infrastructure power has been restored, the Municipality of Jasper and Parks Canada will be providing direction to ATCO to bring power back to the rest of the town.
The park also announced Talbot Lake and Talbot Lake Day Use area are now closed.
Both areas are closed to all traffic and travel until further notice.
Snaring and Celestine Lake Roads and the surrounding area, including both Snaring and Snaring Overflow Campgrounds, are also closed until further notice.
It also announced on social media that Wabasso Campground closed earlier than intended due to the wildfire.
Jasper National Park says the campground is closing mostly because of the long-range power outage caused by the Chetamon Wildfire.
The blaze, which was sparked by lightning early Thursday, grew from 400 hectares to around 1,500 hectares from Saturday into Sunday.
A Reception Centre is open at the Jasper Activity Centre where residents and visitors will find up-to-date information as well as device charging stations as availability allows. Residents and visitors will also be able to see updates from the Municipality of Jasper, Parks Canada and ATCO websites and Facebook pages.
