In a statement sent at 6:20 p.m. on Sunday, Parks Canada confirmed the community had lost power. By 7:06 p.m., power had been restored and crews were working to “assess the power line.” The out-of-control blaze ignited by lightning on Thursday morning had grown to more than 1,500 hectares by Sunday – nearly four times the size officials estimated Saturday morning. At a media briefing Sunday afternoon, officials revealed that seven to 10 power poles were burning and that winds had pushed the flames closer to other utility corridors, including a CN rail line, but away from the town of Jasper. At the time, emergency management personnel warned residents to prepare for a possible power outage, but were optimistic fire prevention measures would be in place. Emergency generators were brought into the community to provide power to essential infrastructure, but not to homes.
Customers in Jasper, please note that we are experiencing a power outage. We were able to safely restore power to our transmission line and have not switched to emergency generator power. Our crews continue to monitor the situation. Follow us for further updates. — ATCO Electricity (@ATCOElectric) September 5, 2022 Jasper officials said no evacuations were being considered at the time of publication as the flames did not pose any danger to the city. “The wildfire situation is constantly evolving and changing,” Janelle Verbruggen, Parks Canada’s wildfire information manager, said in a statement. “It is imperative that visitors and residents of Jasper follow social media updates and recommendations from the city, respect area closures and follow reduced speed limits,” he added. “Parks Canada, ATCO and the Municipality of Jasper are working very closely together and will update the public soon.” This is breaking news that will be updated as information is confirmed…
