Cold, wet weather continues to help crews battle wildfires in Jasper National Park in western Alberta.
A statement released Friday afternoon said firefighters took advantage of the conditions to make progress in controlling hot spots in the burning buildings.
The same release also says crews are also working to control hot spots along the perimeter of the wildfire closest to the Jasper townsite.
The Canadian Armed Forces have now established a camp in Hinton, located on the edge of the national park, to provide additional support.
It comes after Parks Canada estimated 30 per cent of the park had been damaged by the wildfires, which destroyed 358 of the 1,113 buildings in the town of Jasper.
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The structure is a home and a business. The most significant damage occurred in the western part of the city.
Premier Danielle Smith said critical infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and water treatment services, remained intact.
Affected properties include the infamous Maligne Lodge and Mayor Jasper’s house.
“It’s the hard work of firefighters and frontline workers that has saved Jasper from even greater damage,” Smith told reporters at a news conference near the east entrance to Jasper National Park.
Smith said it will be some time before residents are allowed to return, but there is no specific timetable because the fire is still burning in the park.
Smith said they need to make sure the gas pipeline network isn’t damaged. Power needs to be restored. And wildfires need to be controlled so their embers don’t spark another tragedy.
“It’s not a quick process,” Smith said.
More than 20,000 people in and around the Rocky Mountain city four hours west of Edmonton, including about 5,000 downtown residents, were ordered to evacuate Monday night due to rapidly expanding wildfires.
Strong, sustained winds of up to 100 km/h challenged and eventually overwhelmed crews, and fires in the south broke out Wednesday night and began to wreak havoc.
Two explosions that threatened Jasper from the north and south earlier this week have merged. The total area of burned or partially burned land is estimated at 360 square kilometres.
– more soon…
-Karen Bartko, with files from Global News
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