We pray for the residents of Jasper, Alberta, a lovely city on the far west of the province, the gateway to the Rockies, and much of it – we know not yet – just the other day burned to the ground. There was no human way to stop the 100 foot wall of fire, whipped on by strong winds. Thank God that there has been no loss of life – at least none yet reported – but those affected, and afflicted, by this tragedy have a long and difficult road ahead.
I spent part of the day there years ago, on a train ride through the mountains. There was a rest stop in Jasper, and I wandered over to the church, where the priest offered me coffee, and we had a cor ad cor. I wish I had more time to perambulate through the town.
There is blame going around – the usual suspect of ‘climate change’ (readers know my thoughts on this). More likely, there is also ‘fuel’ in the form of dead trees and brush allowed to accumulate over years, a veritable ‘tinderbox’, firefighters said years ago. At the end of the day, however, like hurricanes and earthquakes, forest fires are inevitable, but we do what we can to mitigate their effects. We trust that somehow, someway, God has some plan in all this, and will bring good out of tragedy.
For now, we pray, and offer whatever help we might.