“Everything came together … and that helped us go from a 70 per cent loss to a 70 per cent save.”
The tour came just one day after Jasper’s Fire Chief Matthew Conte said fires within the municipality were extinguished.
“It was very emotional to watch what happened to the town, but it’s a relief now to know that the town is fairly protected,” Conte told Postmedia.
Conte said it was “pretty overwhelming” to see his house was among those lost while he was on patrol.
“At the same time, there was a lot going on,” Conte said. “It’s hard to put that on the backburner and make sure that we’re still doing our jobs and protecting what we could.”
With approximately 30 per cent of Jasper’s structures destroyed, others are sharing that pain.
“Some of our neighbourhoods are gone in their entirety,” said Christine Nadon, Municipality of Jasper incident commander.
Despite the destruction, Nadon said the firefighters saved “all critical infrastructure.”
The tour through the Jasper townsite was surreal at times, with there being several spots where ruins were surrounded by buildings still standing.
Extreme winds carried embers to certain buildings while others nearby were spared.
On Miette Ave., St. Mary and St. George Anglican-Episcopate, a historic church nearly a century old, was gutted.
Remnants of the church were only a short walk from both the Jasper Healthcare Centre and the Jasper Emergency Services building, both of which are still standing.
This pattern of destruction could be observed in and around the commercial area of Jasper’s Connaught Drive.
A liquor store, bike shop, Subway restaurant and another restaurant, the Birch, along with some residential units, were reduced to ruins.
These were surrounded by the Jasper Brewing Company and Jasper Curry Place, which are still standing, though the brewing company’s siding was damaged by the flames.
Dean MacDonald, Parks Canada deputy incident commander, said said it was “a huge thing” that 70 per cent of Jasper could be saved.
“Everything came together … and that helped us go from a 70 per cent loss to a 70 per cent save,” MacDonald said.
“All the pieces of the puzzle were fitting together, and people knew what their role was, who they were reporting to, and how to do things safely.
“Co-ordinating wildland fire and structural fire made it work so seamlessly, even with this unprecedented wind event pushing this fire down the valley.”
Being there when the fires moved down the south valley toward the town, Conte said the Jasper firefighters immediately felt the urgency.
MacDonald estimated the winds that night were at 100 to 150 kilometres per hour, well above what was forecast that night.
Despite this, Nadon said she can’t say when evacuees will be able to return.
Conte said that besides the wildfires, factors that prevent residents from returning now include downed power lines and toxic gases.