Canada wildfires 2024: Officials release identity of Jasper wildfire killed in action, B.C. wildfire season is already on track to break records

Eighteen days after out-of-control blazes tore through Jasper National Parks resulting in a complete evacuation of the town and surrounding area, critical routes are now slowly reopening to traffic as of Friday morning, according to the latest release by Parks Canada.

"AB Highway 16 will open to all traffic on FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, provided conditions allow. The highway will open to all east and westbound traffic daily from 7 am to 9 pm (MT)," officials state in the release.

Parks Canada urge motorists to prepare accordingly as stopping on the route will not be permitted, and there is limited access to washrooms and gas stations.

Drivers are being given access to key highways through two of Alberta's most popular national parks but travel will be restricted by the ongoing fight against a blaze that devastated the Jasper community.

Meanwhile, a southern stretch of the Icefields Parkway, a scenic and highly-travelled route that connects the community of Lake Louise in Banff National Park with the Jasper townsite, will also partially re-open on Friday.

Evacuation orders remain in effect throughout Jasper National Park and access to the Icefields Parkway will only extend as far north as the Icefield Centre. The Icefields Parkway will only be accessible from the south via Highway 11 or Highway 1.

For more details on re-entry progress and evacuee information, check the Municipality of Jasper’s websites

Evacuee information: jasper-alberta.ca/p/jasperwildfire

Re-entry progress: jasper-alberta.ca/p/re-entry-criteria

The firefighter who died after being struck by a falling tree on Aug. 4 while fighting wildfires near Jasper, Alta., has been identified as 24-year-old Morgan Kitchen of Calgary.

"Morgan was a talented athlete, musician, singer, comedian and actor. He could have been a gifted teacher but was wired to be a first responder," reads an Obituary that has been posted online.

Morgan is the second firefighter killed battling Canada's wildfire in as many years, with 19- year-old Devyn Gale being killed by a falling tree near Revelstoke, B.C. in 2023.

Tributes paying respects to Morgan's untimely death are pouring in from coast-to-coast with Trudeau taking to social media shortly after the death was announced.

Toronto's CN Tower was dimmed this week to honour the memory of the firefighter who gave his life as he braved the fierce wildfires.

First responders lined the streets in a sign of respect as a procession mourning Morgan's loss made its way through Hinton, Alta. streets on Sunday.

This year is already the fourth-most destructive wildfire season on record, according to BCWS data, with more than 9,100 square kilometres of land having been burned so far. The 2023 fire season was considered the most destructive ever recorded by area burned, at 28,400 square kilometres.

There are almost 360 wildfires burning across the province as of Thursday morning, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS), up from about 330 last week, according to the province's wildfire dashboard. The majority of active wildfires were caused by lightning.The number of wildfires of note has dropped to six, down three from yesterday.

For current B.C. evacuation orders and alerts, click HERE.

The latest bulletin from the wildfire service says hot and dry conditions are expected to persist across most of B.C. through the weekend, raising the fire risk.

It says thunderstorms with lightning and minimal rain are also expected to increase the likelihood of new fire starts and intensify activity at existing fires.

Evacuation orders and alerts have been issued in British Columbia's North Okanagan as a nearby wildfire burns out of control — doubling in size since Tuesday, according to reports by the Canadian Press.

The B.C Wildfire Service (BCWS) says the 6.7 square-kilometre Hullcar Mountain fire is one of nine wildfires of note in the province, meaning it is highly visible or may pose a threat to public safety.

For current B.C. evacuation orders and alerts, click HERE.

On Thursday, the province's wildfire dashboard is showing 348 active wildfires burning across the province, with over 21 igniting in the past 24 hours alone.

As dry conditions persist, the BCWS has also issued evacuation orders for two separate fires in the Penticton area — one for the Lower Blue Mountain wildfire Tuesday afternoon, where the fire is more than 0.4 square kilometres and a fire in the West Bench area that was human caused.

For current air quality statements and alerts in B.C., click HERE.

The Penticton Indian Band issued an evacuation order for the Lower Blue Mountain wildfire, affecting around 10 properties. The evacuation order was lifted Wednesday afternoon, according to Emergency Info B.C., and affected residents may return home, although they could have to leave again on short notice. As of Wednesday afternoon, the BCWS reported the wildfire is under control.

This week, Canada surpassed the grim milestone of over 3 million hectares of wildland being consumed by wildfires over the 2024 wildfire season so far, according to data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre INC (CIIFC).

While this wildfire season sparked to a slow start compared to the record-setting 2023 fire season, hotter-than-average summer temperatures are pointing to a potentially active finish.

• READ MORE: What to expect for 2024 wildfire season, and is climate change causing more fires? Your top questions answered

So, how is this year shaping up against previous wildfire seasons?

The 2023 wildfire season was the most destructive in Canadian history, resulting in a over 17 million hectares being burned, as detailed in the CIIFC graph below annual area damage in Canada. While the 2024 wildfire season is not near as destructive as last year, data shows that it is on track to be the second most destructive over the past decade.

The number of wildfires across Ontario has been well below average in 2024, according to data from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF).

The province has seen just 257 fires between Jan. 1 and Aug. 5 of this year well below the 10-year average for the same time period, which is 526 fires. Ontario saw 615 fires across the province during the same period in 2023.

• READ MORE: Forest fire hazard staying low across northwestern Ontario

"Significant widespread rain events have kept forest fuels from drying out for extended periods of time, making the forest less likely to be impacted by lightning," said Isabelle Chenard, a communications and media relations specialist with the ministry to CBC News.

For current air quality statements and alerts in Ontario, click HERE.

There are currently 57 active wildfires burning across the province with six being classified as out-of-control, all located in the northern quadrant of Ontario, according to provincial wildfire data.

The wildfires that torched large sections of the historic village of Jasper, wiping out dozens of homes and burning thousands of hectares of land is expected to continue burning well into autumn, Parks Canada officials said in an update. Landon Shepherd, Parks Canada incident commander, tells CBC News that crews are braced and prepared to keep fighting flares on the fire until well into autumn.

Shepherd said progress has been made in protecting the community from further damage, but the fire remains volatile.

"The long-term prognosis is maybe a little bit less rosy in terms of overall control of the wildfire," Shepherd said during a news conference Tuesday.

"We're expecting that the fire season will continue, like it has for the last five fire seasons, where it may extend right into early November."

Currently, the fire has now destroyed over 34,000 hectares and continues to burn out of control.

Bus tours of the devastation for residents whose homes were lost or damaged began Monday. About 259 households have registered for the tours, representing around 563 individual Jasper residents.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also visited Hinton, Alta., on Monday to get a briefing on the status of the Jasper wildfire, as well as meet with the province's premier and evacuees who fled the blaze that destroyed a third of the town.

After meeting with Trudeau, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told reporters there is work to do collaboratively with the federal government to help Jasper rebuild, and she gave temporary housing as an example.

"Not only is that going to be important for the residents that lost their homes, but also the seasonal workers, and on top of that, all the workforce that is going to be needed to help rebuild," she said.

Active fires in Canada today: 879

The map below details locations of wildfires across Canada and classified by status of:

Red = Out of Control

Yellow = Being Held

Blue = Under control

Purple = Out of Control (Monitored)

New fires today (Aug. 8): 4

Fires to date in 2024: 4,292

Area burned to date in 2024 (HA): 3.0M

For the most up-to-date figures, visit the CIFFC site here.

Key Canada wildfire updates Thursday:

🔥The blaze that destroyed thousands of hectares of forest and dozens of homes in Jasper is expected to remain a threat on the national park landscape for the next several months.

🔥The number of wildfires across Ontario has been well below average in 2024, according to data from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF).

🔥Evacuation orders and alerts have been issued in British Columbia's North Okanagan as a nearby wildfire burns out of control, nearly doubling in size since Tuesday.

🔥 Over 3 million hectares have been torched across Canada over 2024 wildfire season. How does that shape up over previous years?