It turns out Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland couldn’t have timed a trip to central Alberta any better.
Ireland and his wife travelled to Crossfield for the weekend, where they planned to spend a couple of days away on their son’s farm and return Tuesday morning.
That is, of course, until all hell broke loose Monday night.
“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. I’m connected to the community through the internet and by phone.”
Jasper National Park’s latest update on the wildfires that forced the mountain town’s evacuation, issued late Wednesday night, said they haven’t been able to assess the “significant losses” of buildings and other property.
“As the pictures and videos circulating online show, significant loss has occurred within the townsite,” the 10 p.m. post read. “We are sensitive that residents, business owners, visitors, and those with connections to Jasper want to know the state of their homes, businesses, treasures and favourite places.
“Our focus continues to be on saving as many structures as possible. Unfortunately, we can't report on the extent of damage to specific locations or neighbourhoods at this time.”
The municipality's website bears a message indicating it is not safe to return at this time.
