Around 4 a.m. Monday, the raging wildfire in Alberta’s Jasper National Park destroyed transmission lines creating a permanent power outage.  On Sunday afternoon, power was temporarily lost as flames engulfed power lines on the ATCO right-of-way connecting the city.
The city is working to switch to generator electricity to ensure critical infrastructure, such as the hospital, traffic lights, water wells and sewage treatment plant, remain operational.  Utility operator ATCO said power was restored to those key facilities by 5:20 p.m.
As load capacity is tested, officials say additional power can be provided to parts of the city in a “phased” approach.  Details of this “reactivation” plan are to be provided.
“Residents and visitors should be prepared for an extended shutdown,” Richard Ireland, the mayor of Jasper, said at a news conference Monday afternoon.
“The fire is still not a threat to the City of Jasper, although at this time, we are unable to offer our guests the full services they would normally expect at this uncertain time,” Ireland added.  “In the face of uncertainty, be prepared. I don’t know how long it might extend and we don’t know all the capacity issues yet.”
Power to critical infrastructure has been restored in Jasper.  Working with Council & @JasperNP on phase 2 for further restoration.  We continue to encourage residents to stay safe and visit our website for more holiday advice:

— ATCO Electricity (@ATCOElectric) September 5, 2022
As of Monday afternoon, officials estimated the fire was between 5,000 and 7,000 hectares, up from 1,500 the previous day, and still 15 to 16 kilometers from the city. Officials are not considering evacuations due to the fire, which was sparked by a lighting strike early Thursday morning. Fire crews remained optimistic after three to five millimeters of rain overnight. “We anticipate that the magnitude will be variable over the next few days,” said Katie Ellsworth, chief of the Chetamon fire planning division. “The rain bought us a few days so we could get crews into critical areas of this fire and facilitate safe and efficient access for our ATCO power partners to be able to repair the power line.” An emergency receiving station opened at the Jasper Activity Center Monday morning to serve as an information hub and provide charging stations if emergency generator capacity allows. “Our crews are working as quickly and safely as possible,” said Amanda Mattern, ATCO electrical regional director. “The safety of our customers and people is our first priority. “We will continue to monitor the situation, but want to remind residents and visitors to take precautions to stay safe.” Mattern advised residents to unplug appliances and electronics during the outage to prevent possible damage from surges as power is restored. The Chetamon Mountain Fire is burning north of the Municipality of Jasper in the Alberta Rockies (Supplied). In addition, he said residents should only open refrigerators and freezers “when absolutely necessary,” as they can maintain their interior temperatures for about 24 to 36 hours. The fire has also affected a Trans Mountain switch for the pipeline extension that runs through the park. Ellsworth said fire suppression devices were deployed overnight as the fire burned near the site. “We will continue to work with our partners at Trans Mountain to ensure the safety of the pipeline and the community,” Ellsworth added. One concern for responders is that the fire is near an area of ​​trees that has been affected by previous mountain pine beetle outbreaks. Trees in those areas can accelerate fire growth, Ellsworth said. “There may be some increases in fire behavior based on weather and fuel conditions over the next few days,” he added. “However, we have looked at our long-term weather reports and it seems that everyone agrees that we will see a decrease in overall temperatures.” Smoke billows from the Chetamon Mountain Fire that was sparked by lightning Thursday morning (CTV News Edmonton/Alex Antoneshyn). Residents and visitors to the national park can receive emergency updates by calling 780-852-6540 or following social media updates posted by the township. Parks Canada will close Wabasso Campground for the season Monday, earlier than expected, due to a power outage and lack of services available to support tourists. Officials say the Whistlers and Wapiti campgrounds will remain open. “While we appreciate your support for camping in Jasper National Park, we would encourage you to return in the future when the wildfire situation is resolved,” Parks Canada said in a statement. “Consider camping elsewhere right now.” Any affected bookings will be automatically cancelled, with a refund. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Kyra Markov