Burned debris is starting to be cleaned up in Jasper after devastating July wildfire

For more than three months, piles of burned wreckage have sat mostly untouched behind blue fencing in Jasper, blocking off what's left of more than 350 buildings destroyed in July's wildfire.

Now, sounds from heavy construction machinery fill the air, and crews wearing hazmat suits and ventilators can be seen sifting through rubble behind some of the fences; all signs of wildfire debris removal ramping up.

Parks Canada owns all of the land in Jasper because it's within Jasper National Park. Residents lease parcels of land from the federal government and are able to build on them, but only own the structures — not the land itself.

That makes residents responsible for debris cleanup, and they also must follow recently developed removal rules.

WATCH | Here's how burned wildfire debris is being cleaned up in Jasper:

Before any work is physically done, leaseholders need to apply for a development permit from Parks Canada, authorizing demolition and debris removal. 

Next, debris from each of the 358 destroyed structures needs to be tested for toxins, including asbestos — fibrous minerals often used in construction pre-1990. Breathing in asbestos fibres is now known to pose health risks, like lung scarring and cancer.

For safety, removal crews on all sites wear personal protective equipment. Workers are also required to regularly water down debris with hoses, which helps prevent asbestos fibres from floating up into the air.

Representatives from Alberta's occupational health and safety department and from Parks Canada are in Jasper to ensure safety and permit rules are being followed.

A working group for debris management assembled by the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre (JRCC) told CBC in an interview late last month that safety is a top priority. The JRCC is a partnership between the Municipality of Jasper and Parks Canada, established in August to help coordinate recovery efforts.

"Care and consideration has gone into every step of this process," said JRCC project manager Logan Ireland in an interview Oct. 31.

He said Parks Canada created a "supplemental mitigation document" to support guidelines that contractors need to follow when they are moving debris.

"Also every other provincial, municipal and federal guideline will apply," Ireland said. 

The debris is loaded into trucks and driven outside Jasper National Park. Some of the material will be recycled, but most of it will be dropped off 75 kilometres east of Jasper at the West Yellowhead Regional Landfill, just outside the town of Hinton, Alta., according to a news release from the landfill.