U of C student provides a first-person account of evacuating the Jasper wildfires
By Nazeefa Ahmed, August 3 2024—
The province of Alberta is no stranger to mother nature’s fury — the 2013 Calgary flood, 2016 Fort McMurray wildfires and many lesser-remembered storms and fires are all etched into Alberta’s landscape and history. The Jasper wildfires, however, rank as one of the more devastating summer catastrophes, being described as Jasper’s largest wildfire in 100 years. Thousands were evacuated during the first week of the wildfires and many returned home this week to assess the damage.
In an interview with the Gauntlet, University of Calgary communications and media student Mia Fortier provided a first-person account of being in Jasper during the wildfires and evacuation. Fortier is a communications intern for Parks Canada at Jasper National Park and was living in the town for the summer before the last semester of her degree.
“I moved there this May, and I quickly fell in love with Jasper,” said Fortier. “I was thinking maybe after this semester I could maybe call Jasper home. So obviously this is all pretty devastating to see and watch it unfold.”
Fortier was evacuated from her place of residence before it burned down. Being in crisis mode, she tried to pack as much as she could, not knowing if she would return to a building or the ashes of something that once was.
“When the evacuation happened, nobody even imagined this outcome,” said Fortier.
“People don’t know what to say when something like that happens and sometimes all you need to hear going through something like that is just an, I’m sorry,” said Fortier. “That’s what was kind of hard about last week was that people were looking for the silver lining [but] it is a loss.”
The town and surrounding parks face significant damage, with homes, locally-owned businesses and community spaces burned beyond general repair. Fortier described the quaint ambiance of the town and the untouched beauty of the park prior to the fire.
“What made Jasper so special was that it was not as populated as Banff,” said Fortier. “There were all these beautiful lakes and trails and peaks that you could go to that a lot of them are now gone.”
The province came together to support Jasper residents. On July 31, Pattison Media led the Alberta Day of Caring fundraiser for Jasper, raising over $1.5 million. However, there is online debate about the way the fires were managed, with some blaming the lack of funding to fire departments while others claiming that the fires were a coordinated attack on Jasperites and Albertans.
“What’s hard to watch when this situation takes place is how politicized it’s becoming. I go on Twitter and it’s just a bloodbath,” said Fortier. “People are just fighting and arguing about whose fault it is.”
There appears to be no end in sight for the wildfires in Jasper, with increased wildfire activity as of Friday afternoon. However, Fortier remains steadfast, her faith in Jasperites unwavering.
“The people in that community are resilient, and they are very strong and dedicated to what they love, and what they love is that town,” said Fortier. “I know that there will be a lot of people in the town that will be loyal to it and will help rebuild it to something different.”
Calgarians that would like to help those in Jasper can donate to the Red Cross 2024 Alberta Wildfires Appeal. All donations will be matched by the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta.
This article is a part of our Voices section and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Gauntlet editorial board.