When the largest wildfire Jasper National Park has seen in a century started making its way toward the neighboring community of Jasper, the local fire chief didn’t hesitate in his urgency to protect his town. 

But while he fought the massive blaze, his own home turned to ashes. 

“That night, as things were happening, we were out on patrols looking for spot fires and doing everything we could to protect the town,” Jasper fire chief Matthew Conte told Canadian broadcaster CTV. “Unfortunately, I did lose my own home in that.” 

Conte said he saw the devastation for himself while on patrol. He could only describe it as “devastating.” 

He told Canadian broadcaster CBC that there was already significant damage by the time he saw the harm done to his block. 

“It would have been easy to ask for crews to come in and extinguish,” he said, but there was too much going on elsewhere. “We had to make the call just to move out of the area and let things go.” 

Officials said on Monday that the Jasper Wildfire Complex destroyed 358 of Jasper’s 1,113 structures – roughly a third of the town’s buildings. The city’s critical infrastructure was spared, but many who live there, life has been turned upside down. 

Conte told the Edmonton Journal that eight of the fire department’s 29 members also lost their homes. 

“But at the same time it was a lot going on,” he told the local publication. “We had a lot of crews running around that continued to do spot fires. It is hard to kind of put that on the backburner and make sure we are protecting what we could.” 

As of July 30, there are still 117 active wildfires in Alberta alone. Four of those are “wildfires of note,” including the Jasper Wildfire Complex, meaning they are considered to be of “significant public interest and may pose a threat to public safety.” 

The toll of the ongoing fire has been “devastating” for the town, Mayor Richard Ireland said. 

“For some, your worst fears have come true: loss of homes, loss of businesses, loss of livelihoods. For others, the loss is reflected in losses suffered by family, by friends, by neighbours,” he said in a statement posted on the municipality’s Facebook page. “As a community, loss to one, is loss to all.” 

With the town still evacuated, Ireland said he understands how important “one photograph, one item, one keepsake to help trigger and restore years of precious memories” can be. But for now, he said, there is a heavy risk associated with collecting such items. 

“For those who have lost so much, whose homes are gone, whose memories have been turned to ash, whose future remains so uncertain, whose hearts are breaking, my heart breaks with you,” he said. “…We have, and we will, suffer grievous pain, but we have not lost hope. … We have confirmed that no matter where we are, we stand together as one community. We will rebuild. We will be home.” 

Li Cohen

Li Cohen is a senior social media producer at CBS News. She previously wrote for amNewYork and The Seminole Tribune. She mainly covers climate, environmental and weather news.