Thousands of residents, travellers and campers are slowly scattering across two provinces as a wildfire has prompted the evacuation of both Jasper National Park and the Municipality of Jasper.
The evacuation order went out around 10 p.m. Monday, as the wildfire near the municipality remains out of control. Initially, residents and tourists were being directed westwards along Highway 16 into British Columbia to a welcome centre in the small community of Valemount, approximately 125 kilometres away. However, updates from officials on social media say the small town has limited resources and cannot accommodate any more evacuees at this point.
According to Alberta 511, Highway 16 east of Jasper is open for those still needing to exit the park or townsite. However, eastbound and westbound Highway 16 is only open for traffic for vehicles leaving the area, there is still no entry into the park from any direction.
Currently, evacuation reception centres are set up in Grande Prairie and Calgary.
