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The Town of Crossfield's fire hydrant flushing has been delayed as contractors have been redeployed to Jasper in efforts to restore services after a historic wildfire that has decimated at least one-third of the town's structures.
On Wednesday evening, Jasper officials warned of the potential for extreme wildfire behaviour today, due to exceedingly dry conditions of what they call forest fuels, which include grasses, shrubs, and medium to large trees.
"Jasper residents should be aware of the possibility of intense fire and spread. Our top priority remains protecting the community and critical infrastructure and every effort will be made to prevent further impacts from the fire," officials said late Wednesday night.
On Wednesday, it was noted that fire activity happened as predicted with strong winds gusting late this afternoon.
"Fire spread was observed on the south end of the fire, but ground crews were able to limit spread elsewhere. In some areas, trees occasionally candled, meaning fire activity moved from surface to tree top. Conditions are becoming warmer and drier so increased fire behaviour is expected in coming days that will challenge control efforts."
Officials noted that work to restore utilities in the town of Jasper is ongoing.
"Crews are working to flush water lines, repair downed power infrastructure, and reenergize buildings beginning with critical infrastructure and key municipal facilities. Perimeter fencing is being put up around affected structures."
Municipal enforcement teams continue to retrieve pets from the town and hazard tree assessment and removal is ongoing.
"Municipal facilities are being cleaned as teams scale up operations to support re-entry, once it becomes safe to do so. After a few days of rest, Municipality of Jasper officials will be transitioning with Canada Task Force 2 (CANF2) into key Unified Command positions today. CANTF2 will continue their deployment to support municipal operations for another week," officials stated.
Cities and towns flush hydrants as part of their maintenance operations to remove sediment from water mains, make sure they work properly, and also to maintain firefighting capability.
Resources from across the province and the world have been deploying to Jasper to battle the historic wildfire. Local fire departments including members from Carstairs, Didsbury, Olds, and Beiseker have also been deployed to assist in efforts.
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