Jasper, Alta. has been evacuated as multiple wildfires came blowing into the area late Monday night, blocking off all escape routes but one.
The Municipality of Jasper declared a state of emergency following its evacuation alert at 10pm MT Monday.
Around 4,700 residents from the town of Jasper and visitors camping in Jasper National Park were forced to flee to British Columbia on soot-ladened roads with poor visibility.
The east-west running Highway 16 through the town of Jasper was caught in the flames, while the fire continued to move northeast, threatening to cut off highway access to Edmonton.
A separate fire moving in from the south shut down the Icefields Parkway, which runs north to south, meaning the only available route for evacuees was west into B.C.
Videos of long lines of vehicles jammed bumper to bumper along mountain roads have been posted to social media.
Park and town officials said they were pressed to get vulnerable people out of the area and help fuel vehicles with very little notice.
Alberta Emergency Alert told residents to flee because the fire was five hours from the Jasper townsite.
Just after 2:30am MT a notice was issued to inform people that “the evacuation is progressing well.”
The province of B.C. worked to find immediate accommodation for evacuees.
B.C. Minister for Emergency Management Bowin Ma said that the province was working “as quickly as possible” to “provide safe refuge” for those coming from Jasper.
“B.C. will do everything we can to provide safe refuge for evacuees from Jasper, and are working as quickly as possible to coordinate routes and arrange host communities on our side of the border,” wrote Ma in a post on X.
A welcome centre was set up at a community hall in Valemount, B.C. but reached capacity by 4:30 a.m.
“Valemount has limited services and cannot accommodate more evacuees at the community hall,” wrote the Municipality of Jasper in a social media post. “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. We will provide more information as it becomes available.”
Another reception centre was set up in Grande Prairie, Alta. at Bonnets Energy Centre to welcome evacuees coming in on Tuesday.
“We are working with the Government of Alberta to establish a reception centre in a large city,” wrote Parks Canada in a social media post. “If you can find a campground or hotel to spend the night, or family or friends where you can spend the night, please do so.”
According to the agency, numerous evacuations had already taken place at different campgrounds.
“Parks Canada is responding to multiple wildfire starts. This is an evolving and dynamic situation,” it said. The Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard confirmed that there are 170 active wildfires burning across the province as of Tuesday morning.
