Wildfires near Jasper have forced thousands to flee one of Canada’s largest national parks as multiple blazes and thick smoke descended on the Rocky Mountain community.
Officials in the province of Alberta ordered the 4,700 residents of the Jasper townsite to leave immediately on Monday night, and soon after they called for the park, more than 4,200 sq miles (10,900 sq km) in size, to be fully cleared out.
The orders came around 10pm and took many by surprise. On social media, visitors recounted a slow-motion escape from the mountains, hampered by congested highways, confusion and miscommunication.
“Crawling out of town. It’s been smoky all day ash started appearing 9p. In [retrospect], should have left then,” posted American videographer Jack Kearney. “ In a lodge full of tourists we didn’t get a heads up from staff. Most of us weren’t sure what to do. Language barriers, unfamiliar with protocols. Staff MIA.”
In addition to clearing out the community and emptying the park, officials also worked to ensure vehicles had enough fuel to safely leave the area.
Heavy smoke and fire cut off key escape routes, forcing evacuees towards neighbouring British Columbia.
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“B.C. will do everything we can to provide safe refuge for evacuees from Jasper, and are working as quickly as possible to co-ordinate routes and arrange host communities on our side of the border,” Bowinn Ma, the province’s minister for emergency management, wrote in a post to social media.
But by 4.30am, Valemount, a town of 1,000 west of Jasper, was overwhelmed by evacuees.
“Valemount has limited services and cannot accommodate more evacuees at the community hall,” the municipality of Jasper said in a statement. “If you are on the road, please drive carefully and stop and get some rest as needed. This is an evolving emergency situation. Please be patient and be safe.”
The rapidly growing fires, aided by a searing heatwave that has blanketed swaths of British Columbia and Alberta, will give crews a new challenge. While wildfires are often allowed to burn unhindered in the remote parts of the boreal forest, the proximity to villages and towns will probably force crews to battle the fire.
Officials hope cooler temperatures will aid fire crews in north-western Alberta, but the dry conditions are likely to persist in the south, as well as in British Columbia.
There are currently 170 fires in Alberta and 316 in British Columbia.