'Wall of flames' from out-of-control Canadian wildfire devastates town of Jasper and national park

A "monster" wildfire has ravaged the town of Jasper and Jasper National Park in Canada. Thousands of people evacuated the area to escape the out-of-control blaze. 

Hundreds of firefighters are working to control the Jasper fire, which currently covers an estimated 89,000 acres (36,000 hectares) in Alberta, according to a Jasper National Park update on the Government of Canada website. 

This is "absolutely our community's worst nightmare," Richard Ireland, the mayor of Jasper, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Approximately 25,000 people have left the town and park since an evacuation began on Monday, July 22, with no injuries reported as of 10:30 a.m. Mountain Time (12:30 p.m. ET) on Thursday, July 25. However, news reports and social media videos show the fire has devastated properties within the town, which is home to around 4,000 people, though millions visit the national park each year.  

"Homes and businesses have been lost to a wildfire that people are calling a wall of flames," Danielle Smith, the premier of Alberta province, said during a news conference on Thursday. 

"To the residents of Jasper and those displaced far from home looking at the images of your town on TV and online, the feelings of loss and fear and loneliness must be overwhelming, but you are not alone. All Albertans are with you," she added.

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On Monday evening, two separate wildfires burned to the northeast and south of the town. Within 48 hours, these flames had reached the town itself, according to a Jasper National Park update. 

Pierre Martel, director of fire management at Parks Canada, said that lightning, winds and drought caused the fire to grow rapidly, and noted the flames were stretching above the treetops when the blaze entered the town, the Associated Press reported. 

"It's just a monster at that point," Martel said. "There are no tools we have in our tool box to deal with that at that point. You get out of the way, you retreat." 

Rain on Wednesday night led to "minimal" fire spread on Thursday and is expected to keep fire behavior low for the next few days. However, warm weather is forecasted that will likely increase fire activity, according to Jasper National Park. 

There are currently 176 wildfires burning across Alberta, 54 of which are classed as "out of control," according to a Government of Alberta update published on July 25.

Alberta experiences many wildfires every year, and they have already extinguished more than 800 since January. During the 2023 wildfire season, which ran from March to the end of October, Alberta had 1,088 wildfires, according to Government of Alberta statistics.