Chetamon wildfire in Jasper continues to burn, now 5600 hectares

Parks Canada says the Chetamon wildfire burning in Jasper is now 5,600 hectares, up slightly from a previous estimate of 5,500.

Fire crews are testing a system that can pump water equivalent to 30 millimetres of rain in less than an hour to protect Jasper infrastructure.

Firefighters also burned away brush and trees in certain areas to “remove forest fuel” and create an area that cannot catch fire to control wildfire spread.

“Alberta Wildfire is supporting Parks Canada by providing airtankers for evaluation and fire suppression. Low winds on Thursday allowed Alberta Wildfire airtankers to again make two successful retardant drops on the north end of the wildfire. This will allow for safer helicopter operations but may also create smoke along Highway 16,” Parks Canada said in a release.

READ MORE:

• ‘Now is not the time to visit Jasper’ as Chetamon wildfire burns

• Chetamon wildfire ‘will progressively become more intense’: Jasper National Park

• ‘Out of control’ wildfire grows to nearly 8,000 hectares, power out in Jasper

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Parks Canada and the RCMP say closing Highway 16 is “the last resort,” and they will do everything they can to ensure road safety.

British Columbia sent a crew of 20 firefighters to the area Thursday to help fight the wildfire.

Parks Canada adds smoke may drift into the town as winds pick up, which may also cause the fire to spread.

“Weather forecasts into the weekend call for dry and hot temperatures and strong winds on Sunday. This could intensify fire behaviour and increase wildfire growth on the weekend. That combination can make conditions unsafe for firefighters on the fire perimeter, which makes aircraft suppression tactics the only direct way to slow the spread,” Parks Canada said.

If you were planning a trip to Jasper, you may want to reconsider. Parks Canada says now is not the time to visit as some areas have been without power since early Monday.

ATCO says there will be intermittent outages in the town over the next few weeks as crews assess the damage caused by the fire. The electric company says repairs will take weeks.

About half of the town is still without power.

“The technical complexities and load limitations of the temporary generators have become increasingly evident. The situation remains precarious,” a statement from the Municipality of Jasper reads.

“These outages have impacted essential services including food supply and food service, and gas stations, which will continue to be limited as the power remains unstable.”

Jasper is also asking residents with power to use as little as possible.

“To reduce load and allow more parts of the community to receive power, the Municipality has reverted to operating the Wastewater Treatment Plant with its own back-up generator capacity. We are still without reliable, consistent generator power supplied by ATCO, and current power to the community will be redirected to the Wastewater Treatment Plant if required. If power demand exceeds capacity, we will be required to make decisions to limit demand to ensure critical services can be supported.”

The town says it working to make sure essential services stay open. Jasper adds it’s also making sure seniors are taken care of in the event power to the town gets cut off again.

Meanwhile, officials are reminding people to keep their drones out of the area.

Fire aircraft pilots have to deal with thick smoke and heavy winds, as well as the fire itself, all while flying low to the ground. Parks Canada says pilots shouldn’t have to watch out for drones on top of those hazards.

Anyone caught flying a drone illegally in the area of the wildfire “will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible” and can face fines of up to $25,000.