The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that CN Rail has suspended freight service on its main line through Jasper, Alta., due to a wildfire that has devastated large parts of the town. The Globe's Jeffrey Jones and Emma Graney write that other companies in the region are assessing the impact of the fire. Trans Mountain has confirmed that its oil pipeline remains operational despite the fire. Atco Energy Systems supplies power and natural gas to Jasper. Operators turned off the natural-gas distribution service to the town on Wednesday, and isolated the natural-gas transmission line at a valve just south of the Athabasca River, Atco communications manager Kurt Kadatz said in a statement to The Globe. Electricity remained on in the community Wednesday to support firefighting efforts, but power to the town was ultimately disrupted later that afternoon. "Until we are able to safely reenter the community to complete a full assessment, we won't know the extent of the damage to our infrastructure," Mr. Kadatz said. VIA Rail, the Crown-owned passenger service that operates on the CN main line through Jasper, said it has stopped operating through that corridor as well. It normally operates eight trains per week.
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