Watch | In Canada, wildfires reach resort town of Jasper, thousands asked to evacuate

Massive clouds of smoke engulfed the coniferous trees and set the national park ablaze leaving the residents frightened and causing a major traffic disruption on Highway 16.

Smoke rises from the Lower Campbell Creek wildfire (K51472) wildfire northwest of Beaverdell, British Columbia, Canada. (Reuters)

Continuing with its previous year’s destructive record of 6,132 wildfires, Canada is still burning. The North American country has witnessed 258 wildfires so far this year, ESA data reported. On Wednesday, the fires reached Jasper – a town in Alberta Municipality – in the Canadian Rockies’ largest national park.

Massive clouds of smoke engulfed the coniferous trees and set the national park ablaze leaving the residents frightened and causing a major traffic disruption on Highway 16. One of the evacuees, talking to CBS, stated that it took her 7 hours to drive away from the town.

Taking to X, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that federal assistance was requested by the municipality and that they are “mobilising every necessary resource available”.

The Alberta government confirmed that 59 fires had been reported ‘out of control’ and an estimated 17,500 people were evacuated.

Western Canada is prone to ‘weak veins of moisture.’ (Reuters)

As many as 5,000 residents were asked to evacuate their homes late Monday along with 20,000 visitors. Parks Canada, a government agency that manages 48 parks in the country, said fire services are deployed to preserve “as many structures as possible and to protect critical infrastructure, including the wastewater treatment plant, communications facilities, the Trans Mountain Pipeline, and others.”

Why is Canada burning?

The primary reason as stated by the National Wildland Fire Situation Report for wildfires in the country is the ‘stagnant high-pressure ridge maintaining hot temperatures in the region’. Western Canada is prone to ‘weak veins of moisture’ and natural phenomena such as lightning or dry fuels ignite the stretched parched lands leading to scorching wildfires. Currently, Jasper is being traced by both – North and South – wildfires.

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