CP NewsAlert: Jasper fire report says Alberta government complicated response

By Canadian Press on July 17, 2025.

JASPER — A report into a wildfire that devastated the Rocky Mountain resort town of Jasper says crews did their best but command and control was hampered by the Alberta government.

The report was commissioned by the town and surveyed participants and firefighters who battled the wind-whipped blaze that destroyed a third of buildings in the community located in Jasper National Park.

The report says town and Parks Canada officials trained together and had an integrated command structure, but things became challenging when the province got involved.

It says the Alberta government, while not jurisdictionally responsible to lead the crisis, made things more difficult with regular requests for information and by seeking to exercise decision-making authority.

The report says the interference disrupted the focus of incident commanders and forced them to spend precious time managing inquiries and issues instead of fighting the fire and leading the re-entry of residents.

A spokesman for Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis says he is working on a response to the report.

More coming.

The Canadian Press