You are returning to a Jasper that is significantly affected by a large and aggressive wildfire. Services may be limited or unavailable for some time.  

Use extreme caution, and respect signage or directions given to you by Parks Canada or the Municipality of Jasper. If you notice a fire call 911.  

1.1 Re-Entry Centre  

There will be a Re-Entry Centre at Commemoration Park with resources and information about:  

• Mental health   
• Utilities  
• Internet  
• Financial support  
• Insurance 

Location 

Commemoration Park (1324 Pyramid Lake Rd)

1.2 Essential supplies  

If you choose to stay overnight, you are advised to bring essential supplies to last for up to 72 hours including food, drinking water and medication. 

• Water. See information on the boil water advisory
• Gloves  
• N95 Masks*  
• Boots  
• Long pants  
• Long sleeved shirt  
• Flashlights  
• Food supplies: grocery stores will be limited  
• Camera/phone and charging cables  
• Medications 

*Use N95 rated masks to filter out and reduce exposure to fine dust particles such as ash and soot. An N95 mask is the most effective to block particles from ash. An N95 mask is not the same as a dust mask. Ensure that your N95 mask is fitted properly. If an N95 is not fitted to your face properly, it’s not useful for your safety.  

1.3 Medical Conditions  

Residents with complicated medical conditions, that could require hospital care, should not return until the hospital is fully operational. This may include:     

• A chronic or acute medical condition, like asthma 
• Anyone requiring regular primary care, specialist care, laboratory or diagnostic services 
• Anyone more than 36 weeks pregnant or with a high-risk pregnancy 
• Anyone receiving cancer treatment, dialysis or other specialized medical services 
• Anyone requiring home care, home oxygen or home health supports 
• Anyone recently discharged from hospital or who has had a transplant

The Jasper wildfire has caused significant impact to our town and park. Please return to Jasper with extra caution. We will all ensure community safety together.   

2.1 Hazards 

Call 911 if you see wildfire activity.  

Be aware of hazards around the Jasper townsite and park: 

• Unstable structures, open pits, uneven ground and wet areas  
• Sharp objects like nails, metal, concrete or wood debris    
• Ash, soot and demolition dust   
• Partially destroyed materials like cleaning products, paint and batteries   
• Confined or poorly ventilated areas where carbon monoxide may be present from pumps, generators, or pressure washers   
• Tight spaces that could collapse   
• Propane or fuel tanks for heating or from BBQ   
• Increased wildlife in the town. Call Parks Canada dispatch if you see aggressive wildlife activity: 780-852-6155. 
• Standing dead or burnt trees.   
• Fire equipment and water tanks that are still in the area.   
• Deep burning ash pits in forested areas. An ash pit is a hole in the ground filled with ash, possibly containing hot embers. They are often found near the base of trees and in areas with deep soil. If you see an ash pit, do not step in or around it.  
• Fire retardants. They can make people and pets sick if ingested, cause eye irritation, dry skin, and stinging to cuts and scrapes.  

2.2 Air Quality  

Remaining smoke and fire ash can cause breathing issues. Call Health Link at 811 prior to entry if you are concerned about the air quality and your specific health status.  

Monitor air quality with the Alberta - Air Quality Health Index. We are working on getting a live update on Jasper specifically. 

Consider following these guidelines from the AQHI:

At-risk individuals include:  

• Individuals with breathing conditions (such as COPD and asthma)  
• Individuals with existing cardiovascular conditions (such as angina, previous heart attack)  
• Pregnant women  
• Children seven years old and younger  
• Seniors (65 years of age and older)
  

2.3 Area Closures Map 

Important bulletins: Jasper National Park 

Parks Canada Restricted Activity Order vs Area Closure  

Restricted Activity Order (RAO): This is a legal document that prohibits an activity (driving, biking, stopping on the highway, camping, ATVs) in a specified location. This does not mean visitors and community members cannot access this area. 

Jasper Example: Restricted Activity: Dogs on public beaches - Bulletins - * - Jasper National Park (canada.ca) 

Area Closure: An area closure is a legal document prohibiting unauthorized personnel from entering an area.   

Jasper Example: Area Closure: Trail 7 - Grizzly and black bears frequenting the area - Bulletins - * - Jasper National Park (canada.ca) 

Except for in emergency situations, no one has entered your home or property to inspect for damage inside or outside. Do not assume your home is safe to occupy. 

Although your property may be standing, it doesn’t mean there are no hazards. Be cautious and thorough when re-entering your home or property.  

Alberta Health Services have a more detailed document about “Reopening Buildings, Homes, and Businesses After a Wildfire”. Use this document if you need more information.    

Insurance Note   

Standard home insurance can cover the costs for necessary repairs and cleaning from fire and smoke damage. Make sure you have a plan with your insurance adjuster and understand the process. See the full insurance checklist.  

You can choose to repair or clean your house on your own. See cleaning checklist.

3.1 Assess Outside Hazards   

Assess damages outside your home:  

• Check the stability of the trees around your property. Any trees that have been damaged by fire or wind will need to be removed. 
• Check for electrical hazards such as exposed wires.  
• Avoid contact with damaged or fallen power lines and poles. If there are any hazards, contact ATCO Electric at 1-800-668-5506.

3.2 Assess Structural Damage  

Before entering your home, be aware of structural failure or collapse.  

Do not enter your home if there are any of the following signs:  

• Structural damage: 
  • Damaged roofs and floors that look like they may collapse 
  • Damage to the foundation 
  • Damage to brick or cement fireplace chimneys  
  • Cracked or leaning concrete foundation  
• Heat or smoke. Call the fire department as soon as possible to deal with any hot spot at 911.  
• Smell of natural gas. Call ATCO Gas Emergency Line at 1-800-511-3447.  

3.3 Enter Safely  

Follow this checklist when you re-enter your home: 

• Wear the appropriate safety gear: N-95 masks, gloves, long pants and boots.   
• Return during daylight hours.  
• Continue to assess structural damage in each new area you go.   
• Use flashlights.  
• Do not use electrical appliances that may have been affected by fire. They need to be cleared by a qualified electrician.   
• Keep children and pets under direct supervision. Do not allow children or pets to play in the areas damaged by the fire.  
• Do not try retrieve any items or climb into small spaces to see damage.  
• Wash your hands if you touch ash, soot or other unusual particles.   
• Call Parks Canada dispatch if you find an animal in your home or on your property: 780-852-6155  
• Call Bylaw if you need to remove a deceased domestic pet: 780-981-4806

3.4 Cleaning checklist  

Now that you have assessed hazards and entered your home safely, you can start to clean.

You can choose to clean yourself or work with your insurance adjuster to have a professional cleaner. Read more about insurance on this page.

• Do not throw anything away or start cleaning until contacting your insurance adjuster. 
• Do not use bleach to clean areas where fire retardants have been used. Bleach can react with chemical fire retardants, resulting in toxic fumes.  
• Clean all surfaces with warm water and soap. 
  
• Wash or dry clean clothing, linens and bedding. 
• Steam clean carpets, furniture and mattresses. If you find mould on soft materials, refer to the mould check list page [#]. 
• Clean inside cabinets, drawers and closets.  
• Wipe undersides of furniture, tables and chairs.  
• Clean windows and glass. 
• Ensure there are no wet or damp areas of your home.  
• If you find mould, follow the checklist for cleaning mould.

3.5 Mould 

Call your insurance company if you find or smell mould in your home. Exposure to mould growth can be hazardous.  

You can deal with mould yourself or hire a contractor through your insurance company. 

Note: You should hire a contractor if you find expansive mould growth more than 10 square feet. That’s about the size of a bath towel.  

Mould assessment 

• Conduct a visual inspection with gloves and an N-95 mask. 

• Check items like carpet, drywall, and structural wood. 

• Assess the extent of mould growth and the materials that are affected.  

Mould removal  

• Wear gloves and a N-95 mask. 

• Remove mouldy materials in a sealed plastic bag. 

• Remove and dispose all effected soft materials 

• Remove and dispose water affected soft materials and drywall. Water affected materials can grow mould.  

• Dispose of the bagged mould waste appropriately. See the waste disposal checklist. 

• Assess items that can be saved, including:  

  • Surfaces that did not absorb water 

  • Fabrics that can be dry cleaned or laundered, and then bleached 

Clean  

• Clean and disinfect items that can be saved.  

• Clean all surfaces around the mould affected areas with warm water and soap. 

• Afterwards, sanitize all surfaces using a mild bleach solution (one tablespoon of bleach to four litres of water). 

• Dry wet items as soon as possible. 

• Use a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture. 

• Open windows and use fans to circulate air. 

3.6 Fridge, freezer and dishwasher  

We are working on publishing a clear plan and process for dealing with your fridge, freezer and other appliances. These goods are often called "white goods". Check back here for updates. 

3.7 Food  

Discard:   

• Food in refrigerators, coolers and freezers 
• Open foods 
• Fire or smoke damaged food 
• Raw vegetables or fruits 
• Foods affected by smoke 
• Food in cardboard, foam or porous containers 
• Canned food that is bulging, rusted, or dented 
• Note: for insurance, take photos and make a list of food you throw away 

3.8 HVAC Systems

Replace your HVAC filter before you use it. This includes your heating and air conditioning system. If you don’t know how to replace your filter, contact a HVAC technician for assistance.  

If you choose to replace your filter yourself, wear proper safety equipment (N95 mask, gloves, etc.), and throw the filter out.  

3.9 Cleaning Outside  

Try to gather and contain ash, soot and debris. You want to prevent the spread of these materials and dispose of them safely.  

• Pressure wash or scrub exterior surfaces. 
• Scrape up ash and soot. Put it in plastic bags or other containers that will keep it from being spread. 
• Do not use air hoses or leaf blowers.   
• Wash all toys and play structures. 
• Use water or biodegradable cleaners for fire retardant residue.  
• Replace sand, gravel or other loose materials around playground equipment if there is visible presence of ash, soot or other debris. 
• Close the windows of your home when you clean outside, to reduce dust and smoke from entering your home. 

3.1.1 Gardens  

Don’t eat fruits and vegetables that were growing in your garden during the fire. They are likely smoke affected.   

Garden produce/plants may be impacted by fire retardants. Dispose of garden produce potentially impacted with fire retardants.  

5.6 Fridge, freezer and dishwasher  

Before you assess your fridge or freezer, make sure you have a plan with your insurance provider and understand the process.  

Their advice may be to tape your appliance shut to remove risk of mould exposure. You ultimately will make your own choice on how to proceed. 

If you find mould, contact your insurance company to see if you need to replace your fridge or freezer and if you have coverage for this. See insurance information and mould information on this page. 

Note: If you are unsure of what to do, contact your insurance company. They can help you determine if you need to replace your fridge or freezer.  

Do not put your fridge, freezer, dishwasher or other large appliances on the street.   

If you decide to dispose of any large appliances, refer to the waste management plan. 

Cleaning your fridge

If safe to do so, you can clean, disinfect, and deodorize your fridge and freezer once you have discarded the spoiled food: 

o   Unplug the fridge and freezer 

o   Rinse or blow out the coils and compressors  

o   To clean the inside, use soap and water and then rinse with clean water 

o    Sanitize the inside with a bleach/water mixture made by mixing a teaspoon of ordinary household bleach for every 4 cups of water. 

o   Leave the doors of the fridge and freezer open to help them dry out. 

o   Once the appliance is dry, reconnect the power.  

o   Wait until the inside temperature of your fridge has reached 4C before restocking it with food.  

o   Wait until your freezer temperature is at -18C before restocking it with food.   

Dishwasher

o   If you find mould, follow the mould checklist on page [#]. 

o   Run a regular hot temperature cycle or a sanitization cycle. 

4.1 Water 

There is currently a boil water advisory in certain areas of the town. We will update you with details, a map and specific instructions about what to do with a boil water advisory. 

Jasper residents can consult ATCO's energization map to see the status of power and natural gas to your home or business. For more information, visit: atco.com/wildfires

Electricity

Homes in the town of Jasper should have electricity. If you do not:  

• Check your main electric panel and breaker. A blown fuse or tripped breaker could be the cause. Moving any tripped switches all the way to the ‘off’ position and then to the ‘on’ position can restore power.  
  

If the above step does not restore power: 

• Call ATCO’s electric’s 24/7 emergency outage line: 1-800-668-5506, or 
• Report the outage through the My ATCO Electricity app, or  
• Fill out the online form on atco.com/wildfires.    

ATCO is cautioning residents to stay clear of any downed power lines, and/or crews working in the area. Downed power lines can be extremely dangerous. Contacting an energized line can seriously injure or kill you. If you see a downed power line, please stay at least 10 metres away, call ATCO’s emergency outage line 1-800-668-5506 and keep everyone safe from the area. 

Note: Power to the Jasper townsite went offline on July 24. ATCO is unable to identify, house by house, how long your power was out, therefore please assume all perishables are no longer fit for consumption.

Gas 

Gas has been partially restored in the Municipality of Jasper. In some of the more severely damaged areas, repairs to our infrastructure will be ongoing.

• When you arrive home, your natural gas meter should have a lock on it. 
• Please do not remove this lock yourself. 
• ATCO will remove it when they visit your home or business.

How will ATCO know to unlock my gas meter?

1. During the re-entry process you will receive a bright yellow NATURAL GAS placard. The location for picking this placard up will be announced shortly. 

2. Place the placard in a front window of your house that is highly visible. Ensure that the statement "NATURAL GAS REQUIRED" is facing outwards. This tells us you are home and ready for ATCO to visit. 

3. For the areas where natural gas service is restored, ATCO crews will be in the community going door-to-door to restore gas service, relight your appliances and ensure they’re in safe working order. Appliance relights will take approximately 15 minutes for residential customers and up to an hour for business customers. 

4. Please note, ATCO crews will be wearing company-issued photo identification and will visit your home or business between 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. 

5. If you have not been visited by an ATCO crews within 48 hours of returning home, please call 310-5678 or fill out the online form on atco.com/wildfires. 

Phone

There is functional service for your phone. 

We are working on making a clear process for waste management that will fit the needs of residents. 

Waste disposal processes are dynamic. Please watch for updated information about what to do with specific types of waste.  

We will post this updated information here.  

If you have questions, contact your insurance representative or visit or visit Insurance Bureau of Canada’s dedicated Wildfires and Insurance webpage. You can also call IBC’s Consumer Information Centre at 1-844-2ask-IBC (1-844-227-5422) or email AskIBCWest@ibc.ca.   

7.1 Key points  

• Before you start any work on your property, make sure you have a plan with your insurance adjuster and understand the process.  
• Standard home insurance can cover the costs for necessary repairs and cleaning because of fire. smoke or water damage from fire activity.   
• If you want to clean and repair your property on your own, ensure you are safe and protect yourself. Talk to your insurance provider to discuss reimbursement for the work you do.   
• Damage to homes will vary. There will be a different process for cleaning and restoring your home, depending on the damage.   
• You can choose which service provider you hire to clean and restore your home. Your insurance adjuster may recommend a specific provider with the exact experience and equipment you need.   
• Talk to your insurance adjuster before cleaning or throwing away any belongings.  
• Work with your adjuster to find the solution that will work best for your situation.  
• Fire and smoke damage to vehicles is covered depending on your coverage.   

7.2 Insurance checklist   

• If you haven’t already done so, contact your insurance provider and start a claim.  
• Work with your insurance adjuster. They are there to help you navigate the claims process.  
• Create a list of all damaged belongings  
• Photograph and videotape damage as much as possible. If available, compile photos from before and after the incident with as much information as possible.   
• Collect proofs of purchase, photos, receipts, and warranties. This helps determine the make and model of damaged property.   
• Keep all receipts related to cleanup.  
• Ask your insurance company about living expenses coverage.  

Be gentle with yourself. This is new territory for all of us.  

All Jasper residents have now experienced a degree of loss. Each person’s situation is different, and so is the processing experience.  

Use this checklist to reflect on how you feel while you process this intense experience:  

• Check in with yourself: Where are you on the continuum? 
• Create a plan on how to take care of yourself. This will allow you to take care of others.  
• Use the resources available for you.  
• Eat well, stay hydrated, stay active, and get enough rest.  
• When you feel overwhelmed, practice deep breathing.  
• Remember, you are not alone.  

Supporting your children:  

• Model positive coping. 
• Encourage open communication. 
• Maintain routines to provide a sense of normalcy. 

8.1 Resources 

Visit www.ahs.ca/wildfire or call the Mental Health Help Line at 1-877-303-2642. 

• Alberta 211: Call or text ‘INFO’ to 211 or visit ab.211.ca 
• Psychologists’ Association of Alberta: 1-888-424-0297 
• Mental Health Help Line (24/7): 1-877-303-2642 
• Addiction Help Line: 1-866-332-2322 
• First Nations & Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line: 1-855-242-3310 
• Crisis Text Line: Text “CONNECT” to 741741 
• Text4hope: Text HOPEAB to 393939 
• Health Link: 811 
• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 

• Emergency: 911 
• Cottage Medical Clinic: 780-852-4885 
• Alberta Health Link: 811 
• ATCO: 1-800-511-3447 / 310-5678 
• TELUS Mobility: *611 on your TELUS mobile phone or 1-866-558- 2273 
• TELUS Internet: Toll-free 1-888-811-2323 
• Shaw Internet: 1-888-472-2222 
• Direct Energy: 1-866-374-6299 
• Enmax: 310-2010 

Right now, the future is unwritten.  

We can all use our strengths and passions to find out what’s next. Together, we will work together and create a thriving Jasper.