One of two large forest fires in western Canada has reached the town of Jasper and set buildings on fire. Around 25,000 people have been evacuated from the area.
The fire is still out of control, says Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
Smith has tears in her eyes as she updates the press on the situation.
This is the worst nightmare for any community, she says according to BBC.
Between 30 to 50 percent of the town's buildings may have been damaged, according to Smith:
It will be about a massive rebuilding and relocation.
The 1,900 firefighters are working under extremely dangerous and demanding conditions. At least 400 firefighters from around the world are on their way to help.
Wall of fire
The forest fire has spread through the national park in the Rocky Mountains and entered the tourist town of Jasper from the south on Wednesday evening local time. A wall of fire, estimated to be around 100 meters high, took 30 minutes to advance half a mile to the town, according to the authorities.
Firefighting efforts are underway to save as many buildings as possible and to protect critical infrastructure, including a water treatment plant.
"The damage appears to be extensive," says Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland in a statement.
The fire has reached the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge hotel, but it is still unclear how extensive the damage is, the hotel reports on X. The hotel in the park has been evacuated.
25,000 evacuated
Around 25,000 people, including 5,000 residents and 20,000 park visitors, fled with short notice on Monday evening when the fires flared up. No one is reported to have been injured.
On Wednesday evening, the national park reported that the air quality was so poor that firefighters and others without independent breathing apparatuses would have to leave the area and head to the nearby town of Hinton.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that his government has approved a request from the province of Alberta for federal assistance.
Could not be stopped
Most things went wrong in the initial attempts to dampen the fire. The water bombers had to retreat due to the dangerous conditions, and the fire situation changed minute by minute.
Jasper National Park was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1984, due to its magnificent mountain landscape. The town of Jasper is located in the national park.
Alberta has had high temperatures recently, and nearly 180 fires are raging in the province. Many of the fires have been started by lightning strikes.
