‘So dry’: Jasper wildfire evacuees arrive in British Columbia, but no word yet on when they’ll be able to return

Residents and tourists from Jasper, Alta., have arrived in communities across British Columbia after fleeing the rapidly spreading wildfire that broke out Monday night.

Jasper resident Joe Urie was leading a bushfire tour with six people from England when he saw the fire break out.

“The fire flares up, I jump out, I call Parks Canada and I was there when Parks arrived,” he told Global News from Valemount, B.C.

“I mean, at that point it was so dry. It happened fast.”

Urie, owner and operator of Jasper Tour Company, told Global News that winds were blowing hard, pushing the fire east toward the community.

“It was only a matter of time,” he said of being forced to leave because of the bushfires.

“I mean, 80 percent of the lodgepole pine forest was killed by the pine beetle. That stuff isn’t as volatile as the green stuff that you get turpentine from. But it ignites super fast, and with this kind of desiccation, with the kind of wind that we have, not only was it inevitable, but you knew it was inevitable that you were going to have to leave at some point.”

Jasper resident Louis Poirier, who arrived in Valemount with his two dogs, said it took about three hours to get from Jasper to the British Columbia community, compared to about an hour and a half normally taken.

Receive national news daily

Receive the most important news, political, economic and current affairs topics in your inbox every day.

By submitting your email address you indicate that you have read and agree to Global News’ Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

“I was really lucky,” he said.

“My wife is a first responder in Jasper, so she was the first to respond to the fire and she was in contact with us at the same time, so we knew right away what was going on.”

8:29
Jasper National Park wildfire latest: 25,000 people evacuated

Poirier agreed with Urie that it was only a matter of time before they faced a wildfire.

“We knew it was coming, but it was inevitable,” he said. “It’s so dry and it was just a matter of time.”

Mudita Behere was in Jasper with her husband and children, visiting from Michigan.

“I think we were all terrified,” she said.

“I think we just have to keep their spirits up. So we kept going until we got to a safer place, and we knew we were safe. Even spending the night in the car was tough. And it’s crowded everywhere.”

During a news conference on the situation surrounding the Alberta wildfires, held via video call at around 10 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis said that of the fires raging in the national park, one is located about 12 kilometers south of the town of Jasper, “on both sides of the river.”

“And the wind can make the situation worse.”

Officials issued an evacuation order around 10 p.m. local time Monday amid a province-wide heat wave and as parts of Alberta experienced windy conditions. The entire park, including the city, was included in the evacuation order.

5:39
British Columbia wildfires: Antler Creek fire expands, Shetland Creek still out of control

Urie said what happened in Jasper should put all Canadians on alert.

“This is not Jasper’s story, this is Canada’s story,” he said.

“The last few years, I mean, we’ve been on fire and this is the story of human folly. We’re the ones who made the mess. And this is Mother Nature trying to clean up the mess.”

— with files by Phil Heidenreich

© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.