The memories of destruction caused by a forest fire that roared through the Jasper National Park last summer are feeding the forest fire prevention efforts throughout the region.
The Forest Fire of July 2024 destroyed a third of the structures in the historical place of Jasper, 365 kilometers west of Edmonton.
“The situation we saw last summer was absolutely devastating,” says Nicholas Nissen, mayor of Hinton, Alta., A city 80 kilometers east of Jasper.
Since then, many displaced jasperites have been calling the city of 10,000 homes.
“I am sure that these people feel nervous when they look at a great forest and come to come a summer.”
That is part of the reason why Nissen says they are digging in this spring to prepare for the worst when reinforcing the lower south of the city.
“You can see around us: the grass grows, the bushes grow, the trees grow, so those rebozos must do again,” said Nissen this week, pointing to a machine that pads the 58 hectares fire.
Hinton’s fire chief Jim Smith said he “feels really good” about moisture levels above average this winter. However, he points out that things are already warming up.
“A couple of days ago we had seven fires, six of them were wild land fires,” he says, “one after another, one after another. And then, in the end, we had a flame train on the rails,” Smith said.
People in communities near Jasper, Alta., Are at the limit after the mountain city was devastated in a forest fire last summer. This is how Alberta’s communities like Hinton and Grande Cache are preparing to defend their homes this spring.
Earlier this month, Alberta Wildfire officials predicted an average season and Todd Loewen, Minister of Silviculture and Parks, said it was “cautiously optimistic.” However, provincial firefighters and volunteer firefighters are preparing and training.
“No matter what type of year it is,” said Tyler Olsen, Reeve, from the Greenview Municipal District, located north of the Jasper National Park. “When you are surrounded by trees there is always that risk.”
Olsen is headquarters in large cache, high., A community of 3,200 located about 200 kilometers northwest of the city of Jasper.
Half of his life has passed as a volunteer firefighter in the front line and said he felt “spoiled” with the Grand Cache team and his station, which was built in 2020. “We just got a new sprinkle trailer this year, that takes the total of up to three.”
The other thing Olsen says they have for them are the forged friends while fighting forest fires throughout the province.
“We were in Fox Creek, Edson, high level, all those places. You know that they, in the fall of a hat, when they listen to a big cache, will be here.”
Olsen said that the crew of large cache had a hand to save the area around Jasper Park Lodge last summer.
David’s argument, the resource conservation manager with Parks Canada in Jasper, said the teams have been on the ground throughout the winter. The goal, he said, is to interrupt how fire could spread in the park this season.
He said the teams have cleared two large blocks, about 116 hectares in total, located west of the city. “The registration team is eliminating the entire pine and fir standing, which are a species prone to fire,” said argument.
They are leaving Douglas’s firing and blades, whose argument called “very resistant fire or fire resistant fire.”
The argument also said that there are two initial attack teams, or eight people, in addition to 20 additional members of Parks Canada’s staff ready to fight fires. In addition, they know that they can trust about 30 volunteers with the Jasper Volunteer Fire Brigade if necessary.
The argument said that, like Jasperita, sometimes he is still trapped by the tragedy of the situation and the long path of recovery ahead.
“But at the same time. We are going to see it green this spring and it will really be interesting to see it.”
