Firefighters brace for renewed battle with Jasper wildfire

As rising temperatures fan the blaze that devastated Jasper, crews battling the flames plan to fight fire with fire. 

Firefighters deployed by Parks Canada are hoping to contain the flames by robbing the fire of fuel.

Ignition specialists are assessing options to burn unburned and partially burned trees near the fire perimeter.

The controlled burns will take place along the edge of the flames. Dozer guards have been dug out in an attempt to break the path of the fire, Parks Canada said in a statement Wednesday.  

The operations will help remove fuel from the fire and prevent the fire from breaching control lines — perimeters cut through the forest designed to contain the flames. 

The work will only be carried out in "carefully chosen conditions," parks officials said. 

Firefighters are bracing for another battle with the wildfire that ripped through Jasper last week, destroying hundreds of structures.

Over 750 personnel are working on the Jasper disaster, parks officials said Wednesday afternoon, and in an effort to free up hotel rooms for Jasper evacuees and alleviate housing pressures within Hinton, Alta., firefighters will be housed at an incident camp starting Wednesday evening. 

Work continues to protect critical infrastructure and reduce the remaining risk to the community. 

All remaining spot fires that had continued to smoulder in the townsite are now out but the fire continues to burn out of control across a vast stretch of forest to the northeast, east, and southeast of the community.

The fire, likely sparked by lightning, is one in a cluster of three fires being fought as one. In all, they have burned more than 36,000 hectares. 

Officials with Parks Canada say increasingly hot and dry weather has begun to fan the flames. 

"As expected, we are beginning to see an increase in fire behaviour as weather transitions to hotter, drier, and windier conditions," an update from Parks Canada said Wednesday afternoon. "Thundershowers and wind gusts could create challenging conditions for firefighters who continue to action high priority areas."

Tuesday was hotter and drier than anticipated, resulting in increased fire activity, officials said.