The Chetamon Mountain fire, ignited by lightning on Sept. 1, has grown to about 1,500 hectares as of Sunday morning, Parks Canada said on its Jasper National Park social media pages. The fire was about 400 acres yesterday. Firefighters on the ground cannot access the fire, which is burning on the upper slopes of the mountain. Parks Canada says wind pushed the flames to the upper slopes of the Vine Creek Valley on Saturday. Since Sunday morning, eight helicopters have been flying over the fire to drop water on the flames. Firefighters and personnel from 77 Parks Canada, as well as other pilots and contractors, are working to prevent the fire from spreading to high-risk areas, the agency said. Parks Canada said Saturday it will have a national incident management team operational Sunday to help with the response. The agency’s top priority Sunday is to further protect critical infrastructure and add more helicopters to suppression efforts. That includes protecting culturally significant sites like the Moberly Homestead, which is part of Métis history, he added. The plot, among other places, is equipped with hoses and sprinklers that will draw water from nearby springs if the fire gets closer to them. The fire is burning north of Jasper, Alta., a town about 315 kilometers southwest of Edmonton. Parks Canada says no communities are at risk, but advises Jasper residents to be prepared for a power outage, should the community’s power supply be destroyed. On Saturday, “specialist fire crews” had begun constructing fire control lines to protect the community’s power line. As of Sunday morning, the fire was about 400 meters from the power line, according to Parks Canada. The Municipality of Jasper has worked with ATCO and Parks Canada to prepare for the possibility of an outage, the municipality said in a fire update on its website Saturday evening. That work included gathering equipment to ensure infrastructure, such as the sewage treatment plant, hospital and water wells, could continue to operate, the briefing said. There are no evacuation orders, but Parks Canada has closed Snaring and Celestine Lake Roads, as well as surrounding areas, including nearby campgrounds, to ensure public safety during fire operations. The agency also restricted aircraft takeoff and landing at Jasper Airstrip, citing public safety. Anyone who violates these orders can be fined up to $25,000 under Canada’s National Parks Act. It’s sad to see the forest burning 🔥 in Jasper National Park. They try in every possible way to erase it. pic.twitter.com/2fDPetsOSt —@YEGHugo Environment Canada issued another special air quality statement for the Jasper National Park area Sunday morning as wildfire smoke continues to cause poor air quality and reduced visibility. People may experience increased coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath, the statement said, adding that children, the elderly and those with heart or lung disease are at particular risk. Environment Canada is advising people in the area to consider taking precautions to reduce their exposure to wildfire smoke. Most of Alberta is under fire advisories, restrictions or bans.
