ITVFri, 26 Jul 2024 11:06 UTC
© Reuters
Fast moving wildfires in the Canadian Rockies have forced around 25,000 people to flee the idyllic tourist town of Jasper.
Flames have devastated up to half of the structures in the town as a "wall of flames" climbed above treetops, officials said.
While there have been no immediate injury reports after the mass evacuation, town Mayor Richard Ireland said the wildfire has "ravaged our beloved community."
In an emotional press conference address, Danielle Smith, Alberta Premier said: "In the last day or so we have all seen on the news and social media the horrific pictures and videos coming out of Jasper.
"Homes and businesses have been lost to a wildfire that people are calling a wall of flames. There is no denying that this is the worst nightmare for any community.
"For many generations, the town of Jasper and the park surrounding it have been a source of pride. With some of the most beautiful scenery in the entire - in the world. Our grandparents visited to experience the majesty of this place with its, mountains...and lakes and meadows."
A postcard-perfect mountain town, Jasper is famous for hiking, skiing, kayaking and biking. It is also home to dozens of species such as elk, mountain goats, cougars, lynx, black bears and grizzly bears.
Comment: CBS News reported on the 25th of July:
A wildfire that roared into the community of Jasper, Alta., late Wednesday, incinerating vast stretches of the townsite, has grown to 36,000 hectares, more than quadrupling in size since Tuesday.
Alberta government officials said preliminary estimates suggest 30 to 50 per cent of the town's structures may have burned. Officials from Parks Canada, the lead agency on the fire, confirmed many buildings were lost, but declined to comment on the full extent of the damage.
[...]
Firefighters on site are still battling fires moving from one building to another. The "most significant" damage is in west Jasper and southwest of Miette Avenue, while the east side was spared from "significant damage."
All critical infrastructure — including the hospital, emergency services building, schools, activity centre and wastewater treatment plant — were protected, the Facebook post said. But "a number" of bridges in town and throughout the national park were damaged.
[...]
"The fuels were right and the conditions were extreme," Flannigan said. "It was such a high-intensity fire and the winds were pushing it up the valley, and fires love to run up and down valleys.
UPDATE
August 9th:
Out-of-control wildfires continue raging across western Canada, fueled by hot, dry conditions while fire crews say they are preparing for a months-long fight against the blaze that torched the historic town of Jasper on the Alberta-B.C. border. Further east, optimal weather conditions across Ontario are producing an active wildfire count that is well below seasonal average, forest ministry officials say.
Comment: CBS News reported on the 25th of July: UPDATE August 9th: