Jasper marks one year since thousands fled wildfire on one road out in dark of night

JASPER, ALTA. — One year to the day a wind-whipped fire forced thousands to flee in the dark of night along one smoke-choked road, the mayor of Jasper acknowledged it was a moment of remembrance that some would much rather forget.

“Some of you may be attending today with some measure of apprehension or trepidation, fearful perhaps, that some remark or reflection may trigger an intense and unwelcome reaction,” Richard Ireland told 150 people at a commemoration ceremony Tuesday in a town park.

“Some residents who have returned home to Jasper may have intentionally stayed away this morning to avoid that very risk.

“My hope, and I expect yours, is that in paying homage to all that we’ve been through, in recognizing our progress and our successes, in commemorating this sad anniversary, we do not stir too much.”

Other leaders also made remarks. Some in the crowd wore Jasper Fire Department shirts, some were in Parks Canada gear.

The ground was wet from the previous night’s rainfall and the event was set against a backdrop of low-hanging clouds, a contrast to the heavy smoke and ash that blanketed the town one year earlier. A thin layer of snow covered nearby mountain peaks.

Federal Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski fought back tears as she spoke.

“I see homes under construction, businesses are reopening … I know, though, that there are challenges ahead,” she said. “Recovery is not a straight line.

“Jasper’s beauty and spirit have always inspired and they will continue to do so.”

Alberta Forestry Minister Todd Loewen patted her shoulder when she sat back down.

On July 22, 2024, a swiftly racing wildfire forced 20,000 visitors and 5,000 town residents to leave, spawning images of long lines of vehicles, their red tail llights glowing, inching through a tunnel of smoke in the dead of night.

Two days later, shifting winds and towers of flame showered the town with embers that lit new fires, destroying a third of all structures in a capricious assault that left intact homes standing alongside piles of rubble.

Some firefighters battled the flames knowing their homes had been destroyed.

A full residential rebuild is expected to take upwards of a decade.

So far, 114 properties have been cleared for construction, while 71 remain held up by soil-testing requirements for contaminants.

The summer tourism season is in full swing. Jasper lost 20 per cent of its accommodations in the fire, but its tourism agency says hotels and homes have been almost full since the May long weekend.

Alongside the anniversary has been a war of words between the town and Premier Danielle Smith’s government over a third-party report.

The report, commissioned by the town and released late last week, surveyed front-line firefighters and other officials to determine ways to improve future fire responses. It says the province’s interference disrupted the focus of fighting the fires.

The Alberta government was not responsible for leading the response because Jasper is located inside Jasper National Park, but the report says the province regularly asked for information and sought “to exercise decision-making authority.”

It says the jurisdictional overlap “created political challenges that disrupted the focus of incident commanders.”

The authors don’t elaborate on how severely these challenges impeded the emergency response, but Ireland said there was no suggestion in the report that any disruption led to a “negative consequence.”

Loewen said Tuesday he doesn’t have further insight into the issues raised in the report.

Smith has called the criticism unfair and last week demanded the town apologize for the report and retract it. The town has done neither.

Ireland has said the town stands by the report, but added it was not intended to lay blame or politicize the issue and has been misrepresented.

Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said Jasper did the responsible thing by commissioning the report. He criticized Smith for blowing off its findings.

“She has to be committed to working with partners, whether that’s local municipalities, local people or even the federal government,” he said Tuesday. “Otherwise, future disasters will become more political, more chaotic and more dangerous.”

Smith, in a social media post Tuesday, said the province would continue to support the town in its recovery.

“For many Jasperites, that difficult chapter still isn’t over, and my heart is with every person or family still waiting to return home,” she wrote.

Speaking after the event, Social Services Minister Jason Nixon said the town should still apologize for the report but that he appreciated Ireland’s remarks the day before.

Nixon said it’s time to move on.

“I’m well past it,” he said.

— With files from Jack Farrell in Edmonton

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025.