Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland discusses the impact of the devastating wildfire, the community's response, and the journey towards rebuilding a more resilient town.
Jasper is rebuilding after a massive summer wildfire destroyed about one-third of buildings in the Alberta mountain town. Thousands of locals and tourists were forced to evacuate on July 22. Two days later the fire swept into town, destroying 358 buildings, equalling over 800 homes including apartment and condo units. Residents weren't allowed to return for more than three weeks. Morgan Kitchen, a 24-year-old firefighter, died when he was hit by a falling tree near Jasper on Aug. 3.
In a year-end interview, Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland tackles questions about his community's wildfire response, coming to terms with personal loss, and rebuilding Jasper so that it is more resistant to future fires.It has been a difficult year for Jasper. People are dealing with loss. Some are still trying to come to terms with what happened.I think that it has been the focal point for just about everybody to get on with the rebuild. We saw that in the initial days and weeks after the fire. People already started to talk really enthusiastically about the opportunity to rebuild and build back better, and that continues. One of the real driving forces for community resilience and unity is to look forward to that rebuild.I'm doing well enough. I am still enthused to get up every morning and face the challenges. And there are many, but they are widespread throughout the community. Everybody's facing really serious challenges. Not everybody has exactly the same lens through which they view the community and their own circumstance
WILDFIRES COMMUNITY RESPONSE REBUILDING JASPER ALBERTA
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