Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was noticeably upset during the province’s update on the rapidly evolving wildfire situation in Jasper National Park and the rest of Alberta.
During a press briefing in Edmonton on Thursday morning, Smith choked back tears as she described a “wall of flames” hitting the townsite, claiming that potentially 50% of the town has burned.
“To those in Alberta and around the world who experienced the magic of Jasper, the magic is not lost and it never will be,” Smith said.
Smith, like many Albertans have expressed today, described the special place the park and townsite hold in people’s hearts.
“For many generations, the town of Jasper and the parking surrounding it have been a source of pride, with some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Our grandparents visited to experience the majesty of this place, with its mountains and lakes and meadows. They took our parents who then took us to this special spot that they’d spend time in as children,” she said tearfully.
“And now we take our own children and visitors from around the world to get that same feeling that you get with your first glimpse of the mountains on the horizon. A feeling that even though you’ve just left home, you’re coming home.”
Provincial officials added that they would be moving to a “unified command centre” so that various levels of government could collaborate on the wildfire response. Federal Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajan will be in Edmonton later today to help coordinate the response.
According to provincial officials and the most recent update from Jasper National Park, the wildfire situation in Jasper remains out of control.
Jasper National Park received a small amount of rain overnight, and while it helped to reduce fire activity, it was “not enough to have made a meaningful impact on the overall wildfire situation.”
The wildfire situation in the beloved national park evolved rapidly, from the first report of a wildfire starting to the northeast of the town of Jasper on Monday evening to a second fire south of town shortly after. Within 48 hours, the wildfires reached the Jasper townsite.
Despite the rapid pace of the fire, no injuries have been reported. Parks Canada says that approximately 25,000 people were safely evacuated from the town of Jasper and Jasper National Park. All residents, visitors and responders are reportedly safe.
Parks Canada has yet to confirm the scale of loss to the town, though photos and videos of structures ablaze and homes burned to the ground have been circulating on social media.