Ravaged by a “wall of flames” that forced the flight of all its inhabitants, the tourist village of Jasper, located in the heart of the Rockies, was partly destroyed by forest fires. For the evacuees, the stress of having left their homes in a hurry is added to the fear of finding all their belongings reduced to ashes.
At a news conference Thursday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said 30 to 50 per cent of buildings in the town of Jasper have been damaged by the blaze. She said the fire that hit the town Wednesday night is still out of control and crews on the ground are working in very difficult conditions.
After receiving an evacuation notice late Monday evening, Marianne Dallaire and her partner tried to gather some of their belongings. “Physically, we’re okay, but mentally, it’s difficult,” she said, her voice cracking with sadness. “We don’t know what life has in store for us.” Her two young children were already in bed when the family learned they had to leave. The couple had to carry them, still asleep, to their small trailer where they have been living for four days now.
Originally from Quebec, Mme Dallaire made Jasper her home in 2002. “This is our home, this is where we want to live,” the young mother confided. “We hope to rebuild our lives in Jasper.”
In the meantime, the young family is camping on the land of a couple of friends in Valemount, a village located 1 hour and 30 minutes from Jasper. Marianne Dallaire says the Valemount community has welcomed her with open arms. On Wednesday, the village church offered clothing to the flood victims who had not had time to pack their suitcases.
North of Valemount, on Highway 16, is the Terracana Ranch Resort, where Jean-François Bussières, his partner and young daughter have been forced to seek refuge. The resort opened its doors to evacuees earlier this week: families with children and seniors are staying in cabins, while other victims are camping there.
Owner of a water equipment rental center, Mr. Bussières owns several vehicles that he has lent to other disaster victims so that they could escape the flames in Jasper. “We formed a convoy and we all left together,” said the man who has lived in Jasper for 25 years.
Despite the images of devastating fires, Mr. Bussières remains in good spirits. “It can’t all be burned. I dare to hope that part of the city was spared.”
He hopes to return soon, even if it means living crammed in with his entire extended family in his equipment rental business. “We want to be part of the rebuilding of Jasper,” he says.
About 80 kilometres northeast of Jasper is the sleepy town of Hinton, which has been devastated by the wildfires ravaging Western Canada. “Some of the victims are here, and our town is doing its best to provide help and support. Many companies are offering freebies or discounts to evacuees,” says Marie-Eve Senneville, a Quebecer who has lived there for two years.
She says that normally in July it is light until 11pm, but on Wednesday night around 6pm it was completely dark. “There was a feeling of apocalypse. Ash was falling from the sky. A light rain made it rain wet ash.”
Confusing situation
The situation on the ground remains unclear, with smoke from the burning buildings preventing authorities from having an overall view of the situation, Premier Danielle Smith said.
“We don’t know the extent of the damage yet, but we’re talking about significant damage and a significant long-term reconstruction,” she said, very emotional.
Parks Canada, which has jurisdiction over Jasper National Park, in the heart of which the municipality is located, said: “Due to the persistence of the fires and our focus on the response effort, we are unable to provide information on specific locations or the extent of damage at this time.”
About 25,000 people (5,000 Jasper residents and 20,000 park visitors) were evacuated earlier this week as Jasper was surrounded by two fires, one coming from the north and one from the south. The one coming from the north ultimately hit the town Wednesday night, fueled by strong winds that made the blaze bigger.
“No one could have predicted that a fire would become this large and grow this big in such a short period of time,” said Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis. He said the fire burning in Jasper was 5 km2. Some flames reached 100 metres high. “In less than 30 minutes, the gusts moved this mass of fire. You can only imagine what the firefighters must have felt seeing this wall of flames,” Mr Ellis said.
In a letter to Jasper residents posted on Facebook Thursday, Mayor Richard Ireland said he was filled with “deep sorrow.” “We are beginning to understand the devastating impact of last night’s wildfires that have ravaged our beloved community.” “The destruction and loss faced by many of you is beyond description and comprehension; my deepest sympathies go out to each of you,” he wrote.
The Minister of Public Safety confirmed that the evacuation of Jasper residents and campers has been completed and has gone smoothly. There have been no reported injuries or deaths. Evacuees have been directed to the Alberta cities of Calgary, Edmonton and Grande Prairie.
Elsewhere in Alberta
The fire ravaging Jasper National Park is not the only one burning in the province. According to Alberta Wildfire, there are currently 176 wildfires burning in the province, with about 50 of them out of control.
Alberta, like much of the West, has been suffering from a precipitation deficit for several months, explains Armel Castellan, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. “The drought has only worsened with the recent heat wave that hit Alberta and British Columbia, creating all the conditions conducive to wildfires,” he says.
While a few millimetres of rain fell in the greater Jasper area on Thursday, Castellan said it will be early next week before significant amounts of water can help firefighters.
A tourist hotspot, Jasper National Park is the largest park in the Canadian Rockies. It covers 11,000 km2 and welcomes more than 2 million visitors each year.