Wildfire Incident Commander Landon Shepherd, third from left, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speak together while visiting the wildfire command centre in Hinton, Alberta on Monday August 5, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
HINTON, Alta. – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Hinton, Alta., to get a briefing on the status of the Jasper wildfire.
Trudeau is expected to tour the mobile incident command centre Monday, and meet with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland and Jasper evacuees.
He is not expected to tour the town of Jasper itself.
More than 20,000 people were evacuated from the town and Jasper National Park nearly two weeks ago as a wildfire inched closer to the area, destroying one-third of the town’s buildings.
A Calgary firefighter died over the weekend after a tree fell on him while fighting the fire.
Trudeau has said he is heartbroken by the news and is thinking of the man’s family, friends and fellow firefighters.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Monday, Aug. 5, 2024.
