A wildfire that ravaged a picturesque town in Canada was partly caused by lightning, authorities say.
The blaze spread to the historic town of Jasper from the Canadian Rockies, where 25,000 people have been forced to flee.
Flames higher than treetops roared into the town on Wednesday night, destroying half the buildings, officials said on Thursday.
Pierre Martel, director of fire management at Parks Canada, said lightning, winds and drought made the fire grow rapidly on Monday.
“It’s just a monster at that point. There are no tools we have in our tool box to deal with that at that point. You get out of the way, you retreat,” he said.
Jasper National Park in the western Canadian province of Alberta, is famous for hiking, skiing, kayaking and biking. It is also home to elks, mountain goats, cougars and bears.