Jasper Evacuated due to wildfire

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by AFireInside

There's no planning outside of not having a town near a forest that will stop this.

Even then I might not help, just last year the fire skipped across lake okanagan, quite amazing really.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

Go hand out bulletproof vests at a mass shooting.

The best time to talk about gun control is during mass shootings but I see your a thoughts and prayers guy.

[chummer]

I'm a retired firefighter and drive a tour bus for a summer job. I have been in Jasper every week since the end of May. When we arrived to Jasper House bungalows Monday afternoon there was absolutely no indication of what was about to happen. Around 7 the wind started picking up, helicopters were flying around and ash was everywhere. I had 48 Americans in my group and we started to tell them to get ready for an evacuation. At 10 pm we got it, we were right beside the Wapiti campground and everyone was leaving on mass. I was hoping to go south but we were told we could only head west. We got to Blue River about 4 in the morning, 3 Valley Gap yesterday and back to Calgary today. I feel so bad for all the people I know who live and work in Jasper. But to be honest many of us were saying it's not a matter of if but when a devastating fire hits Jasper. With all the dead trees caused by the pine beetle it was a tinderbox. I just loved Jasper, it will never be the same, so sad.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by GGG

The best time to talk about gun control is during mass shootings but I see your a thoughts and prayers guy.

I see you can't see the forest for the trees.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Torture

Call me crazy, but what we need to do, is to stop heating up the planet.

There is literally nothing that can be done at this point that would prevent this problem from getting worse over the coming years. So, sure, fine, but there have to be some interim measures implemented to mitigate the inevitable damage in the meantime.

[Street Pharmacist]

Things getting pretty wild in BC too right now. Parts of Golden getting evacuated, fire tornado near Williams Lake, new rank 4 fire tonight across the lake again from Kelowna, it's all going up in smoke again

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

Go hand out bulletproof vests at a mass shooting.

I’m pretty sure you’re both posting on a message board and you live even further away from Jasper than he does.

[Torture]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

There is literally nothing that can be done at this point that would prevent this problem from getting worse over the coming years. So, sure, fine, but there have to be some interim measures implemented to mitigate the inevitable damage in the meantime.

Sure, mitigation is required but what's the saying about the best time to plant a tree?

[GGG]

Originally Posted by marsplasticeraser

I suspect you’ll see some massive changes in what type of vegetation is allowed in Canmore and Banff, which will mean the loss of a lot of trees. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see a massive firebreak all around town, taking down a ton of trees.

One problem is the roofs. Jasper did a good job already eliminating vegetation, building fire breaks and creating defensible space. But look at that Jasper park lodge photo. The whole building is on fire, the tree in front isn’t burning.

[Whynotnow]

Originally Posted by GGG

One problem is the roofs. Jasper did a good job already eliminating vegetation, building fire breaks and creating defensible space. But look at that Jasper park lodge photo. The whole building is on fire, the tree in front isn’t burning.

Just an fyi, the photo of the hotel burning is the Maligne lodge, in town in the west end. There are no pics I’ve seen yet if Jpl, but they’ve acknowledged the fire has reached there and I don't imagine much if any of it will survive the night.

[Muta]

Perhaps fire staffing/resourcing and programming, structural and technology-based prevention measures, and quality fire fighting training will need to be added (increased?) to Alberta's permanent funding model. Intense fires seems to be the new normal, so the best we can do as a province is be as ready as possible to fight them seasonally.

There's a documentary on Netflix that came out last year (forget what it's called) that showcases drone technology and other new technologies; one of them is Lockheed's new fire mapping system using AI that predicts where fires will spread to and how fast. It seemed incredibly interesting and useful for attacking fires in places before they even get there. Hopefully that is something Alberta looks to utilize in the near future.

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by Torture

Sure, mitigation is required but what's the saying about the best time to plant a tree?

I don’t know that saying, but my guess is “yesterday” or “in the past”.

Or “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit”

[Torture]

Originally Posted by Muta

Perhaps fire staffing/resourcing and programming, structural and technology-based prevention measures, and quality fire fighting training will need to be added (increased?) to Alberta's permanent funding model. Intense fires seems to be the new normal, so the best we can do as a province is be as ready as possible to fight them seasonally.

There's a documentary on Netflix that came out last year (forget what it's called) that showcases drone technology and other new technologies; one of them is Lockheed's new fire mapping system using AI that predicts where fires will spread to and how fast. It seemed incredibly interesting and useful for attacking fires in places before they even get there. Hopefully that is something Alberta looks to utilize in the near future.

New tech? Nah, we're here to slash budgets, sorry.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by AFireInside

There's no planning outside of not having a town near a forest that will stop this.

You may not stop it, but you might buy yourself more time for drastic measures like the ignition they wanted to attempt here.

[Snuffleupagus]

Remember when the Sahara desert was a lush forest with lakes,hills and streams? of course we don't, but it was.

No matter what or who's fault it is when this living planet decides for a change there's nothing can be done to stop it.

[Minnie]

300-400 ft flames in the townsite, according to the firefighter they just interviewed - how do you combat that?! I don't imagine you can. And if the PetroCan station exploded, as was stated, then that's a big old fireball spewing flames everywhere. Edit: just saw someone on Threads say the flames are the height of the Arriva tower in Vic Park - a 32 storey building.

Jeebus christ.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

You may not stop it, but you might buy yourself more time for drastic measures like the ignition they wanted to attempt here.

I have a sneaking suspicion that there was some disagreement between Parks and Alberta Wildfire on what to do and when.

Parks Canada generally does not fight wildfires. Basic structure protection and that's about it.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus

Remember when the Sahara desert was a lush forest with lakes,hills and streams? of course we don't, but it was.

No matter what or who's fault it is when this living planet decides for a change there's nothing can be done to stop it.

Big difference is the Sahara takes 20,000 years to go from grassland to desert, which is due to changes in the axis of Earth's orbit. We're seeing massive climate changes in decades that would have previously taken millennia to occur naturally. The planet has never had to deal with such a rapid change in global temperatures and we're in uncharted waters in trying to predict how the climate will react. The only thing that seems certain right now is that summer is now wildfire season, it's only a matter of time until more densely forested towns get hit

[Reggie28]

From a friend of mine near the situation. “7 hotels of ours gone in one night. 750 employees homeless just from our company”.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

I have a sneaking suspicion that there was some disagreement between Parks and Alberta Wildfire on what to do and when.

Parks Canada generally does not fight wildfires. Basic structure protection and that's about it.

Yeah, Parks Canada generally does fire management. Alberta Wildfire (and other provincial counterparts) do most of the fighting (and contract with the private firms for helicopters etc).

Especially when there’s a town (provincial jurisdiction) in the middle of the park.