Emotions are decidedly mixed in the tourism community in Jasper, Alberta.
Wildfire roared through the popular Rocky Mountain resort town on 25JUL, destroying an estimated one-third to one-half of the town’s buildings. The family-owned Maligne Lodge was reduced to ruins, but most of the history Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge escaped the wrath of the blaze.
We can confirm that though the hotel did incur fire damage, most of the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge structures, including our main lodge, remain standing and intact,” Fairmont spokeswoman Anastasia Martin-Stilwell said in an email to Open Jaw.
“While we will need time to assess the full extent of the damage and the timelines required for repair and restoration, we are deeply relieved that much of the property was spared and we will re-open in the future.
Martin-Stilwell said guests and hotel workers were safely evacuated but that employees “will return to extreme loss.”
Jasper Fitzhugh, a community news outlet in the town, cited a report from Fairmont, saying that two buildings on the site, Milligan Manor and one Beaver Suite, were destroyed. An engineering shed and a golf maintenance shed also were damaged or destroyed.
The site quoted hotel officials as saying there is “some damage” to some employee housing and widespread vegetation damage, including trees throughout the property.
With so much of the town destroyed and fires still burning in the area, Rocky Mountaineer train officials say they’ve stopped trips to the region for the foreseeable future.
“Our team is moving as quickly as possible to work through the impact to guest itineraries in this developing situation, the company said on its website. “We ask guests to please be patient as we address departures in sequential order."
A few years ago, the train had to cease operations on its Vancouver to Kamloops route after wildfires destroyed the town of Lytton, B.C.
The Banff Jasper Collection, which runs the Maligne Lake cruise, the Columbia Icefield tours and other operations, said it doesn’t yet know the extent of damages to its properties in Jasper.
“We are monitoring the situation remotely and will provide more information as it becomes available,” the company said on its website. “If you have a booking through August 8 at any of our Jasper hotels, Maligne Lake Cruise, Columbia Icefield and the Jasper segments of Brewster Sightseeing and Brewster Express, it will be automatically cancelled, and your credit card will be refunded.”
CityNews in Edmonton said Karyn Decore, whose family has owned Maligne Lodge for more than 60 years, is mourning the loss of their establishment and heartbroken for her staff. The lodge was among the buildings that burned on Wednesday night.
“We are devastated by the fire that ripped through the town of Jasper, destroying so many homes and buildings including our own beloved Maligne Lodge. When I first found out about our hotel through social media, I was shocked. We have another hotel on the east side, and that part of the town is still standing. So, as tragic as it is, it is not all bad news,” said Decore
