Richard Ireland, mayor of Jasper, is ready to rebuild

IT'S TEMPTING TO LEAN on numbers when conveying the scale of the damage wrought by July's fire in Jasper, Albertathe worst in the national park's 117-year history. Water bombers were grounded in the face of 400-foot-high flames. More than 25,000 visitors and residents were evacuated as hundreds of firefighters flew in to assist. Damages exceeded $700 million. A third of the town's structures were consumed-historical buildings, tourist haunts and family homes. One of them belonged to Richard Ireland.

- KATIE UNDERWOOD

Ireland has been a resident of the beloved Rockies resort town for his whole life and its mayor since 2001. He knows the unquantifiable costs of such climate disasters all too well: three generations lived in his white bungalow, memories now reduced to ash. He also understands why the blaze broke hearts the world over. Former tourists flooded social media with their picturesque snaps this past summer, even as Jasperites scoured their feeds for signs their properties were still standing.

With re-entry now under way, Ireland has an Everestian task ahead of him: keeping community morale afloat as the cold sets in. He knows that the fire could burn in the park for months, that recovery could take years, and that, with one lightning strike, it could all happen again.

This won't come close to doing justice to what you've lived through, but: I'm so sorry for your loss. How are your spirits today?

Well, they're always buoyed by comments like yours. So many people share our pain. That outpouring is helpful for my spirits and, I'm sure, for the residents of Jasper.

You were visiting your son's farm just north of Calgary when Jasper was evacuated. Do you remember the moment you found out the fire had reached town?

Vividly. Christine Nadon, our director of legislative and protective services, and her counterpart from Parks Canada were briefing us via Zoom from the downtown fire hall when the fire "impinged on the community." Those were the words they chose. Before the call, they said they could see a wall of flames. Embers were flying through the air and landing on roofs. At one point, the Parks Canada incident commander got up and left the screen, then came back and said, "Christine-" [Ireland starts to cry.]

Take your time.