National mourning after monster wildfire spanning 36,000 hectares devastates Canadian town of Jasper
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Published 2024-07-26
Pierre Martel, director of national fire management for Parks Canada, said the fire began 12 kiometres away from the town, but an extremely fast wind, blowing at 100 kilomtres per hour, pushed the fire to spread 5 kilometres within the span of an hour. Firefighters and first responders have been working tirelessly around the clock, and have prevented the town's hospital, activity centre, and wastewater treatment plant, from damage. The fire has sparked a conversation about what sort of work forested communities should be doing to prevent blazes, such as removing dead wood, increasing the number of controlled burns, or constructing buildings using material that is less flammable.
DW speaks to environmental scientist Anabela Bonada, at the University of Waterloo, Canada.
#wildfires #jasper #canadianwildfires
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All Comments (21)
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Thanks so much for this story. There are countless articles in the US about how smoke is covering our country. The cause? "Wildfires in Canada." That's it, three words. There are wildfires big enough to cover the entire US in smoke, and there isn't a single US news article about the fires themselves.
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Everyone is affected by bad ecological practices and global warming. Not just the hot parts, if anything the cold northern areas see the most drastic changes.
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As a person who lives near and visits Jasper ofthen this is a sad loss. Alberta is tough and will recover
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My heart is broken, my husband showed me the first videos taken at the town and i just sobbed. My fave summer place, tons of amazing memories. Jasper will rise, and we will be back💖💖💖
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As a Canadian residing abroad my wife and I will cherish the memories of our Jasper visit in Jan of 2024
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Why no mention of the trees that were killed off by the "Lodge pine bettle" as the locals call them...... When we visited 5 yrs ago, half the trees were dead....... And no mention of this?
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Out to lunch, respectfully, as a retired forester and forest biologist. Most of the country is/was fire adapted landscape. Mother nature isn't stopping for humanity.
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From a Californian, I will ask that those in grief rest assured that there is a possibility of a rebirth. Perhaps here in California, the aftermath and rebirth of wildlife after a fire is in the span of a decade. I am sorry for our loss.
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everyone is discussing the destruction, but no one talking about the amazing efforts of the firefighters to save so much of the town given the size, intensity and speed of that fire, and how long it was building up for. an incredible feat of bravery for sure!
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Our longtime family friend has lived in Jasper for almost 50 years. For years, many in the community there have been requesting a 5km fire break encompassing the city that would help prevent immediate impact.
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I JUST FEEL SORRY FOR WILDLIFE
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Drop some grass seed after a fire and it will establish a root network quickly that will help stabilize the land from flooding and sliding. This could even be dropped by air and grows easily and quickly.
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She doesn't mention the invasive Japanese Pine Beetle killing millions of pine trees? Huh?
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Like so many Albertans, I was born and raised exploring the mountains, rivers and lakes of Jasper and the surrounding area. Much of what I know about the outdoors and dealing with wild animals, I learned while exploring the area. Pushing 55 now, I live in the mountains of BC; comfortable in the knowledge and experience gained in Jasper National Park. Prayers.
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I also learnt that even though British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the territories get snow (sometimes alot) and temps as cold as -40c + f , the fire can hibernate UNDERGROUND all winter and resurfaces when it's hot and dry. Crazy to think that you could be standing on a snow pile 10ft thick, but it might have fire embers hanging out, waiting for summer.
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I read an article once that said wildfires would get worse until about 2030. At that point climate change would continue getting worse but there would be less fuel on the ground. Don't trust the accuracy of my memory or the article, but it is an interesting concept.
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Why don't we begin to take care of the underbrush etc in the forests around the city areas. Our bush is messy and bad for fire spread.
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Every storm can not be perfect
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And no mention of the fuel loads created by a century of fire suppression. Oh look, humanity took fire away from the forest and interrupted a process that created it's own fire breaks and fuel load reductions, now there are very few firebreaks and excessive fuel loading. It's like setting fire to the woodshed.
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Most of the trees were dead already. Forest will regenerate....sad but it will take a while.
