A raging wildfire has devastated the western Canadian tourist town of Jasper, potentially destroying up to 50 per cent of structures, with firefighters trying to save as many buildings as possible.
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Jasper is in the middle of mountainous Jasper National Park, in the province of Alberta. The town and the park, which draws more than two million tourists a year, were evacuated on Monday, when officials estimated there were up to 10,000 people in the town and a further 15,000 visitors in the park.
"There is no denying that this is the worst nightmare for any community," Alberta premier Danielle Smith told reporters, while choking back tears.
"We're seeing potentially 30 per cent to 50 per cent structural damage ... that's going to be a significant rebuild," she said, adding the fire was still out of control.
Parks Canada said there had been a "significant loss" of buildings inside the town but added it could not give specific details of the damage, or which areas had been burned and it urged residents not to return.
Video from the town showed vehicles and entire blocks burned to the ground, including a historic Anglican church.
The federal government and other cities in Alberta are sending emergency crews. In addition, 400 firefighters from Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and South Africa are due to arrive in the coming days.
There are 176 wildfires burning in Alberta, more than 50 of which are out of control. About 10 of those blazes are close to the border with British Columbia, where there are 423 wildfires burning and dozens of evacuation orders and alerts.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday said he had convened a meeting of the Incident Response Group to discuss the Alberta wildfires.
"Every federal agency is coordinated, sending resources to Jasper, deploying evacuations support to the area, and reinforcing firefighting efforts on the ground," Trudeau said on X.
The federal government said in April that high temperatures and tinder-dry forests meant this could be a catastrophic year for wildfires in Canada.
The Jasper fire was caused by a lightning strike on Monday afternoon and fuelled by strong winds, according to Parks Canada.
Australian Associated Press
