Jasper will see power back as Chetamon wildfire keeps burning
Posted September 13, 2022 8:15 pm.
Jasper residents can breathe easy as ATCO announced Tuesday that power would be back, and they’ll be moving the town from their temporary generator back to their transmission system.
The update comes as firefighters have been fighting the Chetamon wildfire for five days, preventing it from spreading south.
ATCO says power will be back on Wednesday at 1 a.m.
They say they may also be able to move outlying communities back on the transmission system.
ATCO will keep the temporary generator system in place as a backup.
Jasper Update: At approx. 1am on Sept. 14, we will be phasing the town off the generator system and back to the transmission system. We continue to have the temporary generation system remain in place for backup. More information can be found on https://t.co/LUm4LEwyxl
— ATCO Electricity (@ATCOElectric) September 14, 2022
Power has been knocked out due to the Chetamon wildfire that has increased to 5,900 hectares, a 100-hectare increase from Monday.
More than 125 firefighters and nine helicopters are on the frontlines battling the fire, including crews from British Columbia.
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Map showing area of Jasper’s Chetamon wildfire. (Credit: Parks Canada/handout)
At this time, no communities are being threatened by the wildfire.
Conditions in Jasper and other parts of Alberta, such as Calgary, have been smoky.
READ MORE: Calgary air quality at ‘high risk’ due to wildfire smoke
Smoke from the Chetamon wildfire and other fires in B.C. and the United States is drifting in, causing poor air quality.
Meanwhile, Parks Canada officials are reminding potential visitors that now is not the time to visit Jasper National Park.
Parks Canada continues to work with ATCO to manage safe ways to remove trees from dangerous locations so powerlines can be repaired.
-With files from Joey Chini and Cole Fortner
