Jasper National Park under wildfire evacuation order

Visitors, campers and residents of Jasper National Park were told to get out late Monday night as high temperatures and winds fanned the flames of a wildfire threatening the national park in western Alberta.

An Alberta Emergency Alert issued just before 10 p.m. MT and updated afterwards said there is a wildfire south of town.

An evacuation order has been issued for both the Jasper townsite and the rest of the national park.

Everyone in Jasper and Jasper National Park must evacuate now, the alert said, as the fire is coming towards the community.

“Everyone now is in the process of evacuating the town and all the outlying accommodation, campgrounds, every other structure and facility in Jasper National Park is under evacuation,” Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland told Global News Monday night.

The emergency alert initially said the fire was expected to reach the community in five hours, or around 3 a.m. Tuesday, but was later updated around 11 p.m. to clarify everyone in the community needed to be out by then.

It’s not known now when the flames might reach the townsite.

“We’re hoping and we’re expecting that people will continue to be patient with each other and it will be an orderly evacuation,” Ireland said.

People were advised to check the Jasper National Park Facebook page and Municipality of Jasper page for updates.

Ireland isn’t in Jasper — he spoke to Global News on the phone from Crossfield — but was set to return on Tuesday. From what he has heard from those on the ground, the evacuation process has been going as well as can be expected.

“But the good news is, I think, that people have listened. They have been prepared. Our own local residents are among all of those who are evacuating. It sounds like they had their 72-hour kits prepared, as we advised them to do and prepared them to do.”

Parks Canada said evacuations were taking place, beginning at 10 p.m., and going until 3 a.m. Tuesday.

People in Jasper were told to head west on Highway 16/the Yellowhead towards British Columbia.

Ireland said he’s received messages from mayors in B.C., including Valemount, offering assistance.

“It’s not a large enough community to be a reception center for all of the evacuees coming from Jasper and Jasper National Park, but it will be a stepping stone for some, I’m sure,” he said of Valemount, located 95 kilometres to the west down the Yellowhead.

Evacuees should bring identification, important documents, medication, pets and your emergency kit with you, the emergency alert said.

Anyone needing a ride out of Jasper was asked to go to the Activity Centre, Forest Park Hotel or Maligne Lodge but as of 2:30 a.m., those assembly points were closed.

The Municipality of Jasper also declared a State of Emergency due to the wildfire.

At about 2:30 a.m., officials posted on the Municipality of Jasper’s Facebook page to say that “the evacuation is progressing.”

They noted that while most traffic continues to be directed west on Highway 16, “when roadside fire conditions permit, small groups of escorted vehicles will be directed east on Highway 16.”

Officials noted there is a welcome centre — not a reception centre — in Valemount located at 101 Gorse St.

“There are limited services in Valemount,” they said.

Officials added evacuees could travel to Calgary or Grande Prairie to reach designated reception centres for supports.

511 Alberta said Parks Canada has close both Highway 16 east of the Jasper townsite all the way to the park gates near Hinton, and the Highway 93 Icefields Parkway between Kerkeslin Campground and Athabasca Falls due the fire.

RCMP said eastbound access to Jasper is also closed due to firefighting efforts.

Alberta Wildfire said travellers en route to Jasper National Park must travel back in the direction they came from, unless directed otherwise.

The fire is in Parks Canada’s jurisdiction, however Alberta Wildfire said it has been asked to help and on Monday night was currently responding with ground resources and one helicopter. Other agencies are supporting wildfire suppression efforts and evacuation support, it said.

In a Facebook post shortly before 3 a.m., Jasper Park officials said “multiple wildfires” in the park have created an “evolving situation.”

“Parks Canada fire personnel will continue assessing the wildfires at sunrise,” they said. “Parks Canada has mobilized resources to arrive Tuesday morning, including a Parks Canada incident management team and additional firefighting resources and aircraft.

“We will provide information on backcountry areas when it is available, and will work to ensure that those in the backcountry can leave, or are evacuated, safely. If you have a way of contacting those in the backcountry, they should remain in place, at a designated campsite if possible.”

Alberta Wildfire said there is no threat to communities in Yellowhead County, nor the towns of Hinton or Edson.

That said, the wildfire danger in that part of Alberta was extreme on Monday.

The province said the weather forecast for Tuesday predicted a high of 28 C with 15 per cent relative humidity is expected.

“Winds from the west 20-25 km/h, shifting from the northeast 15 km/h. Crossover conditions are expected again, meaning that the temperature will be greater then the relative humidity and could allow for increased fire activity,” an update Monday night said.

Earlier in the evening, Parks Canada said fire crews and the Jasper Fire Department were responding to a wildfire around the transfer station, located approximately nine kilometres northeast of the Jasper townsite.

Anyone who was headed west towards B.C. must detour.

RCMP said drivers must detour north through Grande Prairie on Highway 40 or south to Highway 1 through Banff. Where travelling from British Columbia to Alberta, at this time detour south on Highway 1 or north on Highway 2.

The fire comes as hot, dry weather triggering heat warnings persist across the province. As of Monday night, there were 170 active wildfires burning in areas under Alberta Wildfire’s jurisdiction.

A fire ban has been in effect in Jasper since July 12.