October 22, 2025
RED FM News Desk
Two new reports on last year’s catastrophic wildfire in Jasper, Alta., confirm the blaze was ignited by lightning and intensified by “tornado-force fire-generated” winds and extremely dry conditions.
The July 2024 fire began as three separate blazes that quickly merged into one, reaching the town within two days. The inferno destroyed about one-third of Jasper’s structures, forcing 25,000 residents and visitors to flee and leaving roughly 2,000 people displaced.
Commissioned by Parks Canada, the reports found that existing wildfire mitigation efforts — including prescribed burns — helped limit some of the fire’s impact. However, one report noted that additional burns and fuel reduction efforts could have further slowed its spread.
The fire originated south of town in an area that had not burned or been treated for over a century, creating “a nearly unbroken corridor for fire spread,” the report said. It added that the terrain’s alignment along the Athabasca River valley channelled winds that rapidly drove the flames toward the community.
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