Jasper evacuees arrive in Calgary, relieved but unsure about resort town’s future

July 24, 2024 Canuck

After a long, winding journey out of Jasper and through a series of small B.C. communities, dozens of evacuees arrived in Calgary on Wednesday, relieved to be away from the wildfire danger but unsure about the resort town’s future.

Tim Strozen was camping in the area with his wife and two daughters when he noticed that people in the townsite were filling up their cars with gas.

“That was our indication that maybe we should just pack up and leave,” Strozen said. “And we’re so glad we did because then everyone was rushed getting out.”

After the order to leave Jasper was issued, thousands of vehicles were gridlocked on roads leading to safety. Many were forced west into British Columbia, then later redirected east toward Alberta.

Strozen said he feels “horrible” for people who were stuck in the massive, early morning exit out of Jasper.

“And then seeing the pictures with the fires coming closer, that would be a horrible situation to be in, for sure.”

A man with a baseball cap wearing a grey shirt looks into the camera. — Tim Strozan was camping in the Jasper area with his wife and two daughters. His family decided to leave after seeing people fill up their cars with gas, and he says they beat the massive rush out of the townsite that led to a major gridlock. (Benjamin Lopez Steven/CBC)

Other evacuees like Maryn Longley, a Jasper resident, described her experience as a “wild ride” that began with seeing a red sky and “ash falling from the sky as I was walking home from work.”

Longley was caught up in the gridlock and said it took her “two or three hours just to get out of town.”

“I just wanted to get out of there,” Longley said. “I’m very antsy when it comes to traffic jams and stuff like that.”

As Longley spoke to CBC News, she was waiting to be picked up by her dad and sister, who would take her to Edmonton.

Longley said she’s now taking things “day-by-day” and trying not to “stress about anything too much.”

In a media statement, the City of Calgary said that as of 9 a.m. on Wednesday, 108 evacuees had registered in the city, almost evenly split between Jasper residents and tourists.

“We are able to help people find shelter and additional supports they may need as the firefight continues,” the statement read. “Currently, there have been no further requests for support.”

Evacuees unsure about town’s future

As of Wednesday, the two wildfires burning north and south of Jasper have moved within five kilometres and eight kilometres of the townsite.

Parks Canada incident commander Katie Ellsworth told reporters Wednesday morning the “aggressive” fire behaviour was expected to continue.

Longley said she’s “not entirely sure what the future holds,” adding that the situation is “kind of in God’s hands.”

Warren Waxer, who has lived in Jasper for 44 years, was in southern B.C. visiting friends when the evacuation order came through. He said his son packed up their belongings and made his way out of the tourist town.

A man with grey hair and a beard looks into the camera. — Warren Waxer, who has lived in Jasper for 44 years, said he’s hopeful but a little nervous for the townsite’s future since the fire could damage tourist infrastructure and harm the local tourism industry. (Benjamin Lopez Steven/CBC)

As for Jasper’s future, Waxer said he’s “hopeful but a little bit nervous because you just can’t imagine rebuilding a town like Jasper.”

“There’s so much tourist infrastructure in and around the town that [the fire] doesn’t necessarily have to hit the town to have a pretty major impact on the tourist industry,” Waxer said.

However, Waxer added that residents have been preparing for an evacuation like this after a series of harsh fire seasons.

“It was on everyone’s mind since Fort McMurray [and] Edson last year,” Waxer said, noting that residents had attended a wildfire preparation session as recently as two weeks ago.

“We did know [the session] was important, it’s just we didn’t think it would happen so quickly or to us,” Waxer said.

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