When he left for vacation last week, Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland had no idea it would be the last time he would see the picturesque town as it was.
Ireland and his wife are staying with family on a farm near Crossfield, which is between Airdrie and Carstairs. They were set to return to the community he’s served for decades on Tuesday (July 23) but after the events of Monday night, they’re staying put.
“I didn’t have to experience the trauma of the actual evacuation,” he said via Zoom Thursday morning.
“People went through the trauma of the evacuation and then added to that is the trauma of possibly having lost their homes and their businesses. We’ll wait and see just where that goes.”
Speaking just after 6 a.m., Ireland said he didn’t have any newer information on the situation other than what Parks Canada shared late Wednesday (July 24).
“I learned [after the fire reached the town about 6 p.m. Monday] they’d set up a sprinkler system near the west end of town,” he said. “It may have saved some buildings, but there were embers dropping as far in town as the fire hall.”
The mayor said his mind is with the 5,000 Jasper residents and about 10,000 Jasper National Park visitors who were evacuated in the early hours of Tuesday without any major incidents or injuries.
The nature of the fire Monday evening (July 22) forced most people west into British Columbia, allowing only sporadic openings to Hinton and other points east of Jasper.
“Many had to do the long route around (to Kamloops then Calgary and beyond),” Ireland said. “I feel for them in the deepest way.”
Ireland, a lawyer, became chair of what would evolve into the Municipality of Jasper in 2001. He made specific mention of residents and business owners who stayed behind initially to assist with the departure of evacuees and the arrival of first responders, and even to help protect property from the flames, offering a pair of examples and saying there were many more.
Maligne Lodge, which was photographed engulfed in flames Wednesday, stayed open during the initial evacuation Monday night and Tuesday, serving as a muster point, then a hub for arriving fire crews. A manager stayed on to ensure guests and staff got out safely.
And Glenda the Great, well-known as a fixture at her concession in the Jasper Community Arena, helped feed first responders.
Ireland had nothing but praise for emergency personnel.
“Their professionalism, dedication and … valour is just unquestioned,” he said of firefighters and other responders working to try to save buildings in the townsite. “This is an area where all of us have nothing but admiration, respect and gratitude.”
It takes a village
Cities, towns, villages and individuals have stepped up across western Canada to give Jasper evacuees a soft place to land.
“Valemount was stalwart,” Ireland said. “I talked to Mayor (Owen Torgerson) … and they responded so well.”
In Calgary, the evacuation centre continued to accept people five to six hours after it was supposed to close.
“I have received so many offers of assistance from mayors across the province, it’s just been overwhelming.”
Where municipalities have been ponying up firefighters and the equipment they use, individuals have been posting offers of lodging and other support, many in the form of space to camp or park an RV.
He said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called him Monday, before the fire reached the townsite, to chat about how the federal government can help. Ireland has also been in contact with the Alberta government, including Alberta Emergency Management, which he said was in the townsite “within hours.
“I’m confident the support will be there.”
As the hub of one of the country’s most popular national parks, Jasper also has a close relationship with Parks Canada. Ireland said a range of agencies at all levels of government will need to come together in the coming months and years to rebuild an “iconic Canadian tourism destination". That will include resources from other national parks.
It’s a scenario the town has been preparing for with activities such as tabletop simulations for years.
“We all knew this would be needed to face this challenge,” he said. “The degree of co-ordination and collaboration on this and other files (with Parks Canada) has been tremendous.”
More than that, Ireland said the outpouring of support from coast to coast has had a “real impact” on the town’s 5,000 displaced residents.
“We get lots of recognition, but usually about much happier things,” he said, an aerial photo of the townsite over his right shoulder. “Knowing we’re in the national consciousness gives a measure of comfort.”
