A reception centre is readied for wildfire evacuees forced from Jasper National Park in Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, July 23, 2024. Some residents of Jasper National Park who were trapped in traffic for hours while evacuating due to wildfires say they are feeling relieved they've found safety. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
EDMONTON – One of two raging, wind-whipped fires menacing Jasper, Alta., has roared into town and begun burning buildings.
Park officials say the fire entered the southern edge of the community at about 6:40 p.m.
They say crews are battling multiple structural fires and working to protect key infrastructure.
Officials say wildland firefighters and others without self-contained breathing apparatuses have been told to evacuate to the nearby town of Hinton, with structural firefighters staying behind.
A few hours earlier, all first responders were ordered out of Jasper National Park for their safety and to give fire crews more room to operate.
Jasper is being menaced by fires from the north and south, and the town’s 5,000 residents — along with 20,000 more park visitors — fled on short notice late Monday night when the fires flared up.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2024.
