The western Canadian resort town of Jasper has been “ravaged’ by wildfire, officials said, as the large blaze burns out of control.
The perimeter of the Jasper Wildfire Complex was estimated to be 32,000 hectares (approximately 79,073 acres) as of Friday, according to Jasper National Park.
The wildfire is the largest in more than 100 years in Jasper National Park.
Among those responding to the emergency are Alberta Wildfire, the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, the Canadian Armed Forces, Canadian National Railway, ATCO Electric and numerous municipal fire departments, park officials said.
Mapping the complex has been challenging due to factors including strong winds, smoke and “extreme fire behaviour,” the park said.
The complex includes two wildfires that ignited on Monday in Jasper National Park and have since combined, as well as the Utopia Wildfire, which started on July 19 near Miette Hot Springs.
“Crews will take advantage of this time to make as much progress as possible to suppress the wildfire and reduce further spread,” Jasper National Park said in an update Thursday night, though it noted warm weather in the forecast will increase wildfire activity.
The town of Jasper and Jasper National Park, located in the province of Alberta, closed and were evacuated earlier this week due to the wildfires in the park, the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies.
The fire reached the town of Jasper on Wednesday evening, the park said, resulting in “significant loss.”
Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland said the town has been “ravaged” by wildfire. There could potentially be 30% to 50% structural damage in Jasper, according to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, as assessments remain ongoing.
There have been no reported injuries due to the wildfire, Jasper National Park said in an update Thursday morning.
More than 25,000 people were ordered to evacuate from the park and Jasper due to the wildfires, officials said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday authorized the Canadian Armed Forces to respond to the wildfires. He said later Thursday that the government is deploying more resources to “reinforce” the response to the wildfires in Jasper and across Alberta.
“Our governments are working together to keep Albertans safe and supported through this,” he said on social media Thursday night.
Alberta is experiencing “extreme wildfire conditions,” with more than 170 wildfires burning across the province, according to the government of Alberta.
