Jasper National Park Area Wildfire Triggers Evacuations

Wildfires in Alberta are forcing the evacuation of a well-known mountain community.

An evacuation order has been issued for the town of Jasper, with residents advised to head west on Highway 16 to British Columbia. Highway 16 is also closed to westbound travel at the entrance to Jasper Park on the east side.

Eastbound access to Jasper will also be closed, and Highway 93 along the Athabasca River is also closed.

Parks Canada said early Monday evening that its fire crews and the Jasper Fire Department were responding to a wildfire around the city’s transfer station, located about nine kilometers northeast of the Jasper town site.
The Alberta Emergency Alert that was issued at 10:18 p.m. Said the fire was expected to reach the community in five hours, and that everyone in town and the park should evacuate.

The alert was later corrected to say that people in the community had up to five hours to evacuate.

“Please avoid the Jasper National Park area along Highway 16 and allow First Responders to do their jobs safely,” RCMP said in a news release.

All people evacuating the area are encouraged to slow down and use their headlights, as smoke and ash can reduce visibility.

Parks Canada said in an earlier Facebook post that several campgrounds, as well as the Athabasca Hostel and the Palisades Stewardship and Education Centre, have already been evacuated.

“Parks Canada is responding to multiple wildfire starts. This is an evolving and dynamic situation,” the agency said in the post.

About 7,500 people in Alberta were under evacuation orders Monday.

Three communities that make up the Little Red River Creation Nation — John Deere Prairie, Fox Lake and Garden River — remain under evacuation orders as the out-of-control Simo wildfire complex burns nearby. It has an area of ​​more than 960 square kilometers.

“The next 48 hours are pretty critical,” Chief Conroy Savipagham said in a video update on Facebook.

“The dozer crews are going to be working 24-7. They’re going to do whatever they can to get Highway 58 up to the high level and the north side of the highway going into the Garden River.”

Alberta Wildfire said the nearby fire had reached Highway 58, the only road leading out of Garden River, and was 13 kilometers northwest of the community as of Monday afternoon.

Residents of areas north of Chipewyan Lake and Janvier 194 have also been ordered to evacuate.

More than 160 wildfires are burning in Alberta. They are consuming the clouds of smoke that are obscuring the sky and are injurious to health.

However, the smoke is so heavy that the wildfires are obscured from the sun and daytime temperatures in some areas are cooler than forecast, reducing fire activity.

“When the smoke clears, we can expect to see increased and significant fire behavior due to the expected warm, dry weather,” Alberta Wildfire said in an update Monday.

Environment Canada said cooler temperatures will begin moving into northwestern parts of the province Monday night, although warmer conditions could persist in the south for much of the week.