jasper wildfire

About 5,000 residents and 20,000 visitors were safely evacuated before the fire breached the western edge of town and destroyed 350 homes and businesses, including 820 housings units. The Insurance Bureau of Canada pegged the damage at $880 million.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada says the wildfire that tore through Jasper is the second-most expensive one in Alberta's history for insured losses.

"Even amidst the profound grief and staggering loss experienced by so many, the community's familiar pulse is unmistakable. Neighbours and friends, who had been apart for weeks, are reuniting with heartfelt embraces and teary smiles," a post on the town's Facebook page said on Saturday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Hinton, Alta., 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.

The sadness for Jasper is twinned with foreboding. Fires will keep getting worse until we eliminate climate pollution. The laws of physics are unmoved by the excuses of lobbyists and lawmakers.