A massive forest fire has devastated approximately one-third of the Canadian town of Jasper in Alberta and remains out of control; however, rain and lower temperatures are assisting firefighters, according to authorities. Jasper, situated in the popular Jasper National Park, a major tourist attraction, attracts over two million visitors annually, and both the town and the park were evacuated on Monday.
“Rain and cooler temperatures combined with the hard work of the firefighters have resulted in a significant reduction in fire activity,” stated Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on Friday. She emphasized the importance of noting that the fire is still out of control. “It is still unsafe for people to return,” she added.
As of Thursday evening, the Jasper “wildfire complex,” which includes three separate fires, was estimated to cover 36,000 hectares (approximately 89,000 acres), according to park officials. They warned that mapping the complex is challenging due to strong winds and “extreme fire behavior.”
The Jasper Town Council reported that at least 358 of the 1,113 buildings in the town—about 32 percent—have been destroyed. Authorities estimated that around 10,000 people were in Jasper while 15,000 visitors were in the national park at the time the evacuation was ordered on Monday.
David Leoni, one of the thousands evacuated, shared that his family had lost their home of ten years. “Even a day and a half later, I still feel very shocked,” he told Canada’s CTV News. “I want to return to see what is left… for me, it’s good to have some closure and see with my own eyes how things are.”
The fire in the iconic national park, located about 370 kilometers west of the provincial capital Edmonton, highlights the devastating wildfire season affecting the summer months in North America. The blaze is one of many raging across Western Canada, fueled by a heatwave and increased lightning activity. According to a government tracker, there were at least 166 active wildfires in Alberta as of Friday.
Researchers state that the global climate crisis has extended the wildfire season in North America, as warmer temperatures create dry conditions that allow fires to spread rapidly. Climate change has also been blamed for an increase in the frequency of lightning strikes.
In 2023, Canada has experienced its most intense wildfire season on record, with over 6,600 wildfires scorching 15 million hectares (approximately 37 million acres) across the country—an area roughly seven times larger than the annual average.
South of Canada’s border, firefighters are also battling numerous blazes in the western United States, where there were over 110 active wildfires covering 7,250 square kilometers (2,800 square miles) as of Friday. Among these was the Park Fire in California, which had destroyed more than 130 buildings after igniting on Wednesday. This fire, currently the largest in the state, reportedly started when a man pushed a burning vehicle into a ravine in the northern city of Chico, according to authorities.
In Oregon, a rescue team confirmed that a tanker plane had crashed, resulting in the death of a firefighting pilot. The plane had gone missing on Thursday while combating the Falls Fire on the eastern flank of the state. The largest active fire in the U.S. has also been burning in the state, where the Durkee Fire had scorched nearly 1,630 square kilometers (630 square miles) as of Friday.