Fire prevention work being done in Jasper

CALGARY (660 NEWS) – If you’re heading up to Jasper, you may notice a bit of smoky haze around the townsite.

Fire control work is being done in the area to help reduce the chances of wildfire penetrating into the town later this year.

Fire Chief Greg Van Dighem said they are speeding up the project due to pine beetle attacks killing trees.

“If they were to be involved in a fire, the fire burns a lot hotter, moves a lot quicker, with a whole bunch more intensity. So what we’re doing primarily with our municipal project is removing dead pine beetle-attacked trees.”

He said most of the project is done using machinery, but there is some burning going on to dispose of excess forest waste, and some of the smoke has been slow to clear due to weather patterns.

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