EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Multiple wildfires in the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies sent as many as 25,000 visitors and residents fleeing west along the last open mountain road Tuesday, traveling through darkness and soot after a government alert during the region’s busiest time of year for tourists.
“It’s very heavy traffic. It’s very heavy. We have masks in the car,” Edmonton resident Caroline Campbell said by phone from her car. She said it took hours to drive just seven kilometres (about four miles) and expressed concern for others who fled with little gas in their tanks.
Hundreds of wildfires are burning in western Canada, and those fleeing Jasper National Park and the Alberta town of Jasper — home to 4,700 residents — were given an unusual order late Tuesday to make a big detour east if they needed a place to stay. To the west, British Columbia has already seen more than 300 wildfires of its own.
Stephen Lacroix of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency said the town of Jasper estimated about 10,000 people, including seasonal workers, were there when the evacuation call went out. Lacroix said police were going door to door to make sure everyone was out. He said Parks Canada estimated about 15,000 people were in the park.
Photos and videos circulating on social media overnight and into Tuesday showed vehicles crammed into each other, their headlights glowing, as they snaked through clouds of billowing smoke.
Fires threatening the area from the northeast have cut off highway access east to Alberta’s capital, Edmonton. Another fire coming from the south has closed the north-south Icefields Parkway, leaving one road open west to British Columbia.
But Alberta fire officials said British Columbia has a lot of work to do to evacuate them. Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said reception centres have instead been set up in Grande Prairie and Calgary, Alberta, requiring massive detours across parts of British Columbia by drivers fleeing the Jasper area.
Alberta is experiencing scorching temperatures that have forced 7,500 people to evacuate from several remote areas. About 170 wildfires are burning across the province.
The City of Jasper and Jasper National Park said the evacuation was “going well,” and park and city officials were quick to clear traffic jams, find fuel for vehicles and help people in danger while mobilizing resources to fight the fires.
“Everyone in Jasper should evacuate now,” the Alberta government said in an emergency warning issued late Monday, with Parks Canada citing an “evolving and dynamic situation.”
The displaced were told they had five hours to evacuate their homes – by 3 a.m. Tuesday – and take with them key documents, pets, medicines and any other emergency supplies.
The Canadian Parks Service said evacuations were underway at several campgrounds, as well as the Athabasca Lodge and the Palisades Care and Education Centre.
Initially, many of the displaced sought refuge in Valemount, British Columbia, a town of 1,000 people about 120 kilometres (75 miles) west of Jasper.
“The community is completely full,” said City Manager Ann Yanciu. “Every parking lot, street, sidewalk, field…anything that looks like it can fit a vehicle is completely full.”
Some of the displaced spent the night on the floor of the local square. A breakfast of pancakes was provided by the church, while drinks, snacks and information were provided in the community hall and visitor centre in Valemount.
Record number of Forest fires In 2023, Tropical Storm Katrina forced more than 235,000 people across Canada to evacuate and sent thick smoke into parts of the United States, leading to hazy skies and health advisories in several U.S. cities.