Rail, phone, power services affected by Jasper wildfire

Critical infrastructure has been affected by the wildfires that have raged through Jasper National Park, Alta., and into the picturesque townsite itself.   

Telus Corp. confirmed Thursday that some of its infrastructure in the Jasper area was damaged Wednesday in the blaze.

Telus spokesperson Brandi Merker said some home phone and mobility services in the area are down, and technicians are working to restore service.

Priority is being given to restoring the ability to make voice calls, including those to 911, emergency services and hospital communication, she said in an email.    

The hospital was among critical infrastructure in Jasper that was "successfully saved," Parks Canada said in an update posted to Facebook Thursday afternoon.

The emergency services building, both elementary and junior/senior schools, activity centre and wastewater treatment plant were also saved, Parks Canada confirmed.

Merker said Telus is securing helicopters to refuel critical cell tower sites and has also brought in backup generators to ensure the company can maintain wireless coverage for first responders.   

"We know this is a difficult time and we are doing all we can to support our customers and team members who have been impacted, including supplying resources to the evacuation centre in Hinton, Alberta," Merker said.

Telus said Thursday it is committing $100,000 to support rebuilding efforts in Jasper.

Canadian National Railway Co. (CN), whose main line runs through Jasper, suspended operations in the area Wednesday afternoon as conditions worsened.   

CN first suspended rail service through Jasper on Tuesday but restarted it briefly Wednesday before shutting it down again a few hours later.

"Early reports indicate the wildfires caused significant damage to the town. We stand in support and solidarity with the community, home to many of our CN team members and their families," said CN spokeswoman Ashley Michnowski in an email.    

The historic train station in Jasper is owned by Parks Canada and the train platform is owned by Via Rail, which offers scenic passenger rail journeys from there through the Rocky Mountains and onward to Vancouver and Prince Rupert, B.C.   

Via Rail said Thursday that the station and platform appear to still be intact, according to the latest information the company has received. The company's operations through Jasper have been temporarily halted.

Rocky Mountaineer tourist trains will not go through Jasper "for the foreseeable future," the company said on its website. Alternative arrangements are being made for people with bookings on routes that normally stop in Jasper.

 WATCH | Jasper, Alta., faces 'significant loss' of buildings, infrastructure as wildfire advances:

Jasper, Alta., faces 'significant loss' of buildings, infrastructure as wildfire advances

4 months ago

Duration 6:30

A wildfire had threatened the Alberta mountainside townsite for days from the south, but finally reached it Wednesday evening. Parks Canada said 'significant loss has occurred within the townsite,' in a social media post at 10 p.m. MT, but was unable to 'report on the extent of damage to specific locations or neighbourhoods at this time.' Read more: cbc.ca/1.7273606.

The Trans Mountain oil pipeline, which passes through Jasper on its way to the B.C. coast, continued to operate safely on Thursday, said the Crown corporation that operates it.   

Trans Mountain is Canada's only crude oil pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast, and a vital piece of infrastructure for the country's energy sector.   

Trans Mountain Corp. said in a statement Thursday that "at this time there is no indication of damage" to the pipeline or related infrastructure.   

Trans Mountain said it is deploying sprinklers to protect the pipeline, emphasizing it is using its own firefighting equipment and bringing in water from elsewhere in an effort to support local emergency services.   

Atco Ltd., which provides electric and gas services in the town of Jasper, said it won't know the extent of the damage to its infrastructure until technicians are able to safely re-enter the community to complete a full assessment.    

Spokesman Kurt Kadatz said Atco operators turned off the natural gas distribution service to the town and isolated the natural gas transmission line at a valve just south of the Athabasca River at approximately 4 p.m., just before they themselves had to evacuate.   

Power remained on in the community to support firefighting efforts, but was ultimately knocked out later that afternoon, he said.   

"On behalf of our people at Atco, we are devastated by the aggressive fires that came through the town of Jasper last night. We care deeply about this community and everyone who has been impacted," Kadatz said in an email.