A wildfire burns near the town of Jasper on July 24. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says that potentially 30 to 50 per cent of structures have been damaged by the flames after it burned through the community.HO/The Canadian Press

Western Canadian towns have been devastated by wildfire in recent years, including Slave Lake, Fort McMurray and Lytton. And small Indigenous communities, including the Little Red River Cree Nation at this moment, have borne much of the brunt of an increasingly severe wildfire season.

But the world pays special attention when an icon is ravaged. Watching Jasper National Park and its townsite burn is like seeing an exquisite childhood home go up in flames.

It’s not just a vast, unknown forest burning. Jasper is immediately recognizable as one the most beautiful spots on the planet.

It’s the place where people learned to ski, got engaged, or first camped. It’s where you can tough out the backcountry Skyline Trail, or stay in a hotel with window views of wild elk. Jasper is part of a collection of Rocky Mountain parks recognized by UNESCO for the preservation of thousands of square kilometres of still-wild lands. The 5,000-person Jasper townsite still had a friendly and welcoming small-town feel.

An uncharacteristically tearful Danielle Smith struggled to speak as she started a news conference on the fires Thursday. The Alberta Premier talked about the thrill........

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