Thousands Flee Jasper National Park as Wildfire Threatens Township and Prompts Highway Around 4,700 residents and visitors of Jasper National Park in Alberta have been evacuated as a rapidly advancing wildfire forced the town of Jasper into a state of emergency late Monday night. The wildfire, which erupted unexpectedly, prompted swift evacuation orders as flames threatened the community from multiple directions.Residents and tourists were forced to evacuate west into British Columbia, navigating mountain roads in the dark, with heavy smoke, soot, and ash making conditions perilous. Photos and videos on social media depicted long lines of vehicles bumper-to-bumper, headlights cutting through the smoky night.Carolyn Campbell, an Edmonton resident, described the chaotic scene from her vehicle: “It’s wall-to-wall traffic. The smoke is pretty thick. We’ve got masks in the car.”The evacuation order, initially stating that the fire was five hours from the townsite, was later corrected, urging residents to evacuate within five hours, by 3 a.m. Tuesday.Stephanie Goertz, on vacation with her family, was woken by the emergency alert on her phone. “It was absolutely shocking. We didn’t realize how close it was to Jasper,” she said, describing their anxious drive through fire-affected areas.Highway 16, the park’s main artery, was closed east to Edmonton due to fires from the northeast, while another fire from the south shut down the north-south Icefields Parkway, leaving the route west to B.C. as the only escape.Jessica Jackson, another resident, recalled the tense moments as she prepared her family to leave. “I looked out the window and there was dark, fresh smoke billowing in the air. Ash was falling and at that point, we just knew we had to start getting packed.”In British Columbia, efforts are underway to accommodate evacuees. Valemount’s community hall and legion have opened their doors, providing temporary refuge despite limited capacity and resources.Pete Pearson, Valemount councillor and legion president, described the community’s response: “I’ve got probably about 24 people sleeping on the floor from various countries and a few Jasper locals. We’ll cook pancakes until we run out.”With 170 active wildfires burning across Alberta, cooler temperatures are expected to provide some relief in the northwest, though hot conditions are likely to persist in the south throughout the week.