Alberta's wildfires are out of control!
The latest news shows that much of the town of Jasper, a desirable tourist national treasure destination in Canada, has been destroyed by fire.
An official emergency evacuation order was issued on Monday, and the area was no longer inhabited.
A netizen uploaded a video that was just shot today, showing that the fires have relentlessly ravaged this beautiful place, leaving behind a scorched black.
The filming location is suspected to be a residential community in the town, where all the houses have been burned to ashes, and white smoke rises from the charred ruins.
Some of the vehicles that did not come and drove away had been burned to the ground, and from their location it is assumed that they were parked in the driveway of the detached house, but the original house was gone.
A local official also filmed a video in the truck, showing a tragic scene similar to the one above.
All the houses were burned down to the foundations, and there were charred trees and vehicles everywhere. The photographer said to a house, "That's Mom and Daddy's house." ”
这段视频被证实是真实拍摄于 Geikie Street 和 Larch Avenue。
The entire community has been completely destroyed and shocked.
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Local officials said there had been no careful assessment of the exact state of the damage in Jasper because people were busy fighting the fire, but the situation was not optimistic.
From the information available, the fire burned into the city at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Alberta's governor said at least 30-50 percent of buildings had been damaged by the fire.
The wildfire was more ferocious than you could have imagined, with flames reaching heights of 300-400 feet and advancing at a speed of 15 meters per minute.
It's a shame that many of the historic buildings in Jasper National Park are gone.
Parks Canada and Jasper officials said many residential and commercial buildings in and around the town were burned. About 25,000 people, including 5,000 townspeople and 20,000 tourists, were safely evacuated before the fires hit Wednesday night.
Firefighters made strenuous efforts to save the town of Jasper, but ultimately failed.
Due to the dangerous flight conditions, large firefighting aircraft could not take off.
The wildfires spread too quickly, and the fire barriers built with heavy equipment were not fully completed.
Controlled burning methods were used to direct the fire to natural barriers such as Highway 16 and the Athabasca River, but also unsuccessfully.
A large number of firefighters were forced to evacuate, leaving only structural firefighters equipped with personal breathing apparatus.
The fire was driven by the wind and fueled by extremely flammable fuel, moving rapidly into the town.
There are now 176 wildfires burning in Alberta, 54 of which are out of control.
The raging fires pose a serious threat to Alberta, and the province has been severely understaffed and the provincial government has had to apply for assistance from the Canada Army.
Since the beginning of this week, more than 400 firefighters from Mexico, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand have arrived to fight the fire alongside local firefighters.
Wildlands firefighters, who had previously left the fire due to a lack of breathing equipment, have also returned to the front line of the Jasper fire to participate in the firefighting.
The fire destroyed Jasper so quickly because of strong winds on Wednesday, and local firefighters said the winds would not abate in recent days and that the fire was still urgent.
Alberta Premier Danielle · Smith, who, like many Albertans, grew up traveling to Jasper with her family, choked up several times during a news conference just held at noon.
"For those who have experienced the charm of Jasper in Alberta and around the world, that charm has not gone away and will never go away. Alberta's Government will provide families and communities with the support they need so they can recover and rebuild stronger......"
Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland said in a public letter that the damage and loss caused by the fires is difficult to put into words and understand.
Jasper is known for its beautiful mountain views, hiking, skiing, kayaking, and biking. It is also one of the preferred tourist routes for Chinese people in summer. In 1984, the United Nations listed Canada's Rocky Mountain Park Group, including Jasper, as a World Heritage Site.
Perhaps, for a long time, people will no longer be able to travel here.
Wildfires in western Canada have had a severe impact on air quality, with smog in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories.
On Thursday morning, Alberta's Air Quality Health Index was forecast to be 10+, putting it at "very high risk".
Environment Canada has issued a warning that everyone is at risk in smoke conditions, regardless of age or health. Fine particulate matter in wildfire smoke poses a major health risk.
There are also 430 bushfires burning in B.C., and B.C. has a smoke warning for Greater Victoria and several parts of the outback.
Although there is no warning issued in Metro Vancouver for the time being, the smell of burning can be faintly smelled in the air.
The fire burned into the town of Golden in British Columbia, destroying several buildings in the south. Evacuation orders have been issued along Highway 95 along the Colombia River.
The worst fire in B.C. is in Shetland Creek, near Spences Bridge, and has burned an area of 225 square kilometers and has burned more than 20 buildings.
Bushfires also broke out a few kilometres south of the Lake Suke Reservoir around Greater Victoria, which is part of the water supply for about 350,000 people in Greater Victoria.
The Wangshan fire ended early