On July 21, 2024, four wildfires started within the boundaries of Jasper National Park. At the time, the park had been experiencing serious drought conditions that were accompanied by hot, dry winds. Three of the fires were caused by dry lightening strikes and the fourth through human ignition: sparks from work on a car engine started a grass fire that quickly escalated.

The next day, July 22, all four fires merged into the largest one ever recorded in the park for the previous 100 years; it eventually developed a self-perpetuating weather system containing fire tornadoes and continuous high winds.

By July 25, 25,000 people had been evacuated from Jasper townsite and the park itself. By July 26, Parks Canada announced that 358 of the 1,113 structures within Jasper townsite were damaged or destroyed but that all critical infrastructure such as the hospital, schools, and the wastewater treatment plant were saved.

It took until August 17 for the fire to be classified as “held” and on September 7, it was declared as “contained.” One fatality occurred; a firefighter died when a burning tree fell on him.

It’s completely normal for forests to periodically experience burns. Decades-long collections of dry forest floor detritus together with occasional hot summers have always caused them.

It’s also normal for our planet to experience periodic warming and cooling trends. However, the normal heating trend that we’re currently experiencing has been exacerbated by human activity which has lead to higher temperatures and drier conditions than we should have; this in turn brings about more and larger fires. These fires lead to more planetary heat, and the cycle continues to grow.

Nature is amazingly resilient, however. It has been less than a year and already the grasses and bushes are returning; the ungulates love eating the new growth and they have the added advantage of being able to better see the predators! The trails – even through burned areas – are re-opening and visitors are returning, too.

Much of this gorgeous gem of a park escaped the fire …

… and after a morning of clear-sky hiking through stunning scenery we sat next to this lovely river to eat lunch. This particular restaurant had a great view!

Jasper’s fire is a reminder that nature does things in ways that she selects as healthy responses to certain conditions; sometimes, those responses are swift, brutal and merciless. But human interference in that process will eventually lead to consequences, consequences that are worse than what we’re now seeing with the cataclysmic sweep of fires now burning through three of our western provinces.

Let’s hope that we learn nature’s lessons before she decides that we’re the problem and we’re selected for discontinuation.