Jasper wildfire: Alberta government expects to make request for ...

Now that the townsite in Jasper National Park has been evacuated because of the threats posed by at least two wildfires, Alberta’s forestry and parks minister said Wednesday that he expects his government will make a request for assistance from the Canadian Armed Forces.

“We’ll be asking for that shortly, probably,” Todd Loewen told Global News.

“We need to make sure that when we ask for help like that we’re set up and the fire is in a situation where we can use those kinds of personnel.”

An evacuation order was issued for the entire park, including the Jasper townsite, on Monday night and officials estimate about 25,000 people were forced to leave.

According to officials, the evacuation of the townsite was complete as of Tuesday night but efforts to rescue any hikers remaining in the backcountry by helicopter were ongoing.

Because of where the wildfire hazard is, evacuees were forced to head west out of Jasper and into British Columbia. While a welcome centre was set up in Valemount, B.C., the community soon became overwhelmed with incoming people and the centre has since been closed.

Alberta emergency officials said B.C. is not in a position to accept wildfire evacuees from Alberta currently as it is already tight on space and resources as it deals with its own wildfires and wildfire evacuations. As a result, reception centres for evacuees have been set up in Calgary, Edmonton and Grande Prairie. Evacuees have been forced to take long detours to get to those cities as a result of having to head west when leaving Jasper.

Addison McNeill, 24, who lives in Jasper, told The Canadian Press that receiving an evacuation alert Monday night was stressful and that the drive out was slow as cars made their way down the road amid hot and smoky conditions. She said the evacuation was calm, however.

Jasper resident Leanne Maeva Joyeuse told The Canadian Press that she felt relief when she made it to Grande Prairie after spending about 20 hours on the road. However, she said she remains anxious about what potentially awaits her community.

It is not clear when residents or visitors will be allowed back to Jasper. On Tuesday night, Parks Canada announced on its website that it would be automatically cancelling camping reservations from July 23 to Aug. 6 and refunding those who booked already.

“We appreciate your patience as we take necessary action to keep our visitors safe,” Parks Canada officials said, adding that people wanting to cancel reservations beyond Aug. 6 may face “regular cancellation charges.”

Officials with Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper are expected to hold a news conference via video call at 11 a.m. local time to provide an update on the situation.

As of Tuesday afternoon, emergency officials in Alberta said there had been no reports of structures lost or injuries sustained as a result of the fires burning in Jasper.

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As of Tuesday evening, there were two main fires of concern in Jasper.

Parks Canada said the “north wildfire” was located between the Jasper transfer station and the Jasper air strip, on both sides of Highway 16. It was estimated to be 270 hectares.

The “south wildfire” was further from the townsite down the Icefields Parkway. Parks Canada said the estimated 6,750-hectare fire stretches from near Kerkeslin Campground in the south and follows Highway 93 north to near Horseshoe Lake. The wildfire crosses the highway a few kilometres south of Wabasso Campground.

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–with files from The Canadian Press

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.