Rain, Cooler Weather Curbing Wildfire Spread in Jasper National Park

Rain and cooler temperatures have helped suppress the out-of-control wildfire that has ravaged as much as 50 percent of the townsite in Jasper National Park. Ten to 15 millimetres of rainfall in the national park has led to “minimal” fire behaviour and spread over the course of the day, park staff said in a 10 p.m. post on its website July 25. “This precipitation will likely keep fire behaviour low for the next 72 hours,” park staff said. “Crews will take advantage of this time to make as much progress as possible to suppress the wildfire and reduce further spread.” The cooler, damp weather of the past 24 hours offered fire crews their first reprieve since the flames reached the community July 24....