On Sunday, September 4 at 1:06 p.m., an information alert was sent out to residents of the Jasper Municipality via the Alberta Emergency Alert system. According to the alert, the Chetamon Wildfire may cause a power outage for the Town of Jasper and the surrounding area.

"Residents should prepare for a possible power outage, including fueling up vehicles at local gas stations. The wildfire still poses no risk to the Jasper townsite and we are not considering an evacuation process at this time."

The alert was sent after Jasper National Park officials confirmed that at approximately noon Sunday, the Chetamon wildfire spread to the ATCO electric powerline.

"At approximately 2 p.m., the wildfire began to impact power poles. Unseasonably hot weather and strong winds continue to create challenging conditions for air and ground firefighting efforts to steer this wildfire away from critical infrastructure and highway 16."

According to park officials, smoke is obscuring parts of the fire but the current size is estimated to be approximately over 1500 hectares and obscured by smoke limiting the ability to get an accurate size.

"Critical infrastructure protection measures in place at key places, but more aggressive wildfire activity has made it unsafe for firefighters on the ground to continue."

Parks Canada, ATCO and the Municipality of Jasper have been and continue to prepare for various scenarios over the next few days to prepare for any potentially significant changes in wildfire spread and direction. However, Jasper residents should be prepared for a power outage in the event that Jasper’s power supply is damaged. 

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