Parks Canada douses 1 of 3 wildfires in Jasper National Park

Parks Canada says it’s making progress on containing three fires in Jasper National Park, with one being extinguished Saturday.

The three sites are 50 kilometres away from the Town of Jasper, but rangers say they pose no threat to residents and nearby communities.

The Bald Hills wildfire is now extinguished, while the Needle Peak fire is now under control.

The Utopia Wildfire is still being fought, with crews setting up structural protection at the Hot Springs and Miette Bungalows. Those areas are under a “proactive evacuation alert.”

Meanwhile, Parks Canada says Jasper National Park remains open except for the Miette Hot Springs and Fiddle River Valley backcountry, which are closed to the public.

This includes Sulphur Skyline Trail, Source of the Springs Trail, Ashlar Ridge, Utopia Campground, Slide Creek Campground, and Whitehorse Campground.

The Utopia wildfire is two hectares in size and is high above Utopia Pass about two kilometres away from the Miette Hot Springs.

The Needle Peak wildfire is 0.3 hectares, while the Bald Hills wildfire, now extinguished, was 0.2 hectares.

Rangers say all the wildfires were reported on July 18 and were caused by lightning.

Parks Canada says a fire ban remains in place for Jasper National Park and the Town of Jasper until further notice.