People forced to leave Jasper National Park in western Alberta on Monday are talking about what it was like to flee after a wildfire evacuation order was issued at this busy time of year for the area.
“It’s wall-to-wall traffic,” said Carolyn Campbell, of Edmonton, in a phone interview with The Canadian Press from her vehicle.
“(The smoke) is pretty thick. We’ve got masks in the car.”
The mountainous park normally sees full hotels and campgrounds in mid-July. Richard Ireland, the mayor of the Municipality of Jasper, spoke to Motorcycle accident toronto today about the situation Monday night and said officials “want people to remain in an orderly state as much as possible.”
“Wildfire is an unfolding event, things can change rapidly. We take the best information that we can get from those on the front lines, and of course we want to prevent any sense of alarm or panic.”
Ireland was speaking from Crossfield, Alta.
At a news conference about Alberta’s wildfire situation that was held via video call at about 10 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis said of the fires burning in the national park, one of them is located about 12 kilometres south of the Jasper townsite “on both sides of the river.”
“And wind may exacerbate the situation.”
Officials issued an evacuation order at about 10 p.m. local on Monday amid a provincewide heat wave and as parts of Alberta were experiencing windy conditions. The entire park, including the townsite, was included in the evacuation order.
People were told they needed to be out of the park by 3 a.m. local time and a local state of emergency was declared.
Sebastien Delorme, who works in the national park, told Motorcycle accident toronto today there has been more fire activity in Jasper recently.
“We actually had one at our workplace about three days ago that they put out in about 20 minutes, so fires are not an unnormal thing in Jasper,” he said. “But to see it come through with an actual evacuation order is definitely a little bit intense.
“We do know that there’s a very high fire risk in Jasper, so we were kind of expecting it. But of course, when you actually hear an evacuation, it’s definitely a bit of a shock.”
People in Jasper were told to head west on Highway 16 towards British Columbia. Officials said reception centres are being set up for evacuees in Calgary and Grande Prairie.
People were told they could go to Valemount, B.C., but officials said that community has little ability to offer additional services to evacuees and would not have a reception centre, though a welcome centre has been set up there.
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In a Facebook post shortly before 3 a.m., Jasper Park officials said “multiple wildfires” in the park have created an “evolving situation.”
“Parks Canada fire personnel will continue assessing the wildfires at sunrise,” they said. “Parks Canada has mobilized resources to arrive Tuesday morning, including a Parks Canada incident management team and additional firefighting resources and aircraft.
“We will provide information on backcountry areas when it is available, and will work to ensure that those in the backcountry can leave, or are evacuated, safely. If you have a way of contacting those in the backcountry, they should remain in place, at a designated campsite if possible.”
Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen, Alberta Emergency Management Agency managing director Stephen Lacroix and Alberta Wildfire spokesperson Christie Tucker spoke at the same news conference Ellis took part in about the Jasper evacuation effort on Tuesday morning.
Lacroix said based on information provided by local officials, he believes about 20,000 people — a number that includes area residents, seasonal workers and visitors in the area — are impacted by the evacuation order.
However, he described it as being a “very fluid situation and those numbers will be confirmed” at a later time as people arrive at reception centres.
Lacroix noted that he understands the evacuation effort has been progressing well but that an RCMP operation is underway in the Jasper townsite to go door to door to see if anyone remains there.
He told reporters there were no reports of any injuries resulting from the evacuation effort as of 10 a.m. He also said there were no reports of any structures being lost.
“(It’s) pretty impressive actually,” Lacroix said.
Ellis noted the local hospital has been evacuated as well. He described the current situation in Jasper and elsewhere in the province as “a challenging time” but added he was heartened at how well local officials, the province and Parks Canada have been able to collaborate on a response to the wildfire threat and the evacuation effort.
When asked about officials in Calgary and Grande Prairie arranging to accept wildfire evacuees from Jasper, Ellis said such a response is one he sees as “typical of Albertans.”
“(Albertans) step up to the plate to support people,” he said. “(These are) just two examples of what it means to be an Albertan.”
“Outstanding co-operation all around is what I would say,” Lacroix added, noting he was not yet sure how many evacuees would arrive in Calgary or Grande Prairie.
When asked why no evacuees were being directed to Prince George, B.C., Lacroix said “the issue is the severity” of the wildfire situation in that province. He said despite B.C. always being there to offer help when it can, the number of wildfire evacuees in that province has limited its ability to support evacuees from Alberta.
Loewen noted that Alberta “continues to experience hot and dry weather” and that the weather forecast for next week calls for more of the same.
He said there are currently 170 active wildfires burning in the province and over 50 are out of control. Since Jan. 1, he said Alberta has seen over 930 wildfires in forest protection areas and over 440 of those were this month alone.
“The past few weeks have been tough.”
Loewen told people fleeing Jasper that his government is “here for you” and extended gratitude for firefighters coming to Alberta from other jurisdictions to help with the situation.
Tucker described the level of wildfire danger as being “extreme in most areas of the province.”
“Today we are expecting a change in that fire behaviour,” she said Tuesday. “We’re preparing for challenging conditions.
“We are anticipating what could be an active day.”
Tucker said her department has already provided support to firefighting efforts in Jasper with aircraft, personnel and intelligence.
For the latest information on which areas in Alberta are under an evacuation alert or order due to a wildfire, visit the Alberta Emergency Alert website.
For the latest information on the wildfire status and danger across the province, visit the Alberta Wildfire website.
The latest information on fire advisories, restrictions and bans across the province can be found on the Alberta fire bans website.
For the latest on road closures in Alberta, you can visit the 511 Alberta website.
— With a file from The Canadian Press
