Brief Chronology:
- Multiple fires started north and south of the Jasper townsite at 7:05 pm on 22 July 2024 due to lightning, and later merged into the Jasper complex fire.
- Relative humidities remained below 30% overnight into the next day (23 July), causing rapid sustained intense fire growth.
- By the afternoon on 24 July, a pyrocumulonimbus cloud caused a very strong smoke updraft column, with fire-induced in-drafting winds near the surface.
- Based on the pattern of tree damage, it is likely that the pyrocb produced a fire tornado, with winds exceeding 200 km/h.
- At roughly 5:40 pm on 24 July, the smoke plume column experienced rapid column collapse, producing thick ground-level smoke with gusty winds and embers that rained on the townsite.
- Many houses in Jasper had shake (wood) roofs that quickly caught fire from the embers.
- Fire was classified as “being held” on 17 August 2024, and under control on 7 September 2024
- Factors affecting the fire include a month of drought, contiguous fuels in the forest, many downed dead dry trees due to mountain pine beetle 7 years before, multiple ignitions from lightning, and gusty winds .
- On 1 Apr 2025, the fire was finally extinguished.
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Fire Facts:
- Official name: 2024 Jasper Wildfire Complex
- Extreme fire behavior during the first 50 hours
- Total burned area: 39,000 ha (= 96,000 acres)
- 48 days out of control
- CN Rail sent one of their firefighting trains to town on 23 July.
- Hundreds personnel fighting this fire
- One death. An Alberta firefighter, hit by a falling tree.
- Evacuation Orders were issued for Jasper National Park and Jasper townsite on 22 July. Evacuations continued, and by 25 July over 25,000 residents had left their homes. Residents were allowed to return on 16 Aug 2024.
- 358 structures in the Jasper townsite were destroyed.
- $880 million in insurance claims.
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