Huge, fast-moving wildfires have destroyed up to half of the historic Canadian town of Jasper, officials say, and the blazes are still out of control as firefighters try to save as many buildings as possible.
Entire streets of the main town in western Canada’s Jasper National Park have been levelled by the fire, with video showing smouldering rubble where homes once stood and the charred remains of cars.
While no deaths have been reported, some 20,000 tourists and 5,000 residents have fled the mountainous area in Alberta province, which has been hugely popular with tourists for decades.
During a news conference on Thursday, a tearful Alberta Premier Danielle Smith struggled at times to recount the scale of the damage, but said “potentially 30 to 50 percent” of buildings had been destroyed.
“There is no denying that this is the worst nightmare for any community,” she said, adding that Jasper National Park had been “a source of pride” for many generations.
Ms Smith became visibly emotional as she described the beauty of the park and its significance to the community, which relies largely on tourism. Some 2.5 million people visit the park, and nearby Banff National Park, each year.
Karyn Decore, the owner of the Maligne Lodge in Jasper, was on holiday when she learned her hotel had burned down. On Wednesday night, she received a photograph of the building in flames.
“I was horrified and devastated when I saw that photo,” she told the BBC. “I think it’s going to take a couple of days for the shock to wear down.”
“It’s really hard for everyone to comprehend that we lost one of our properties,” she said, adding that she intended to rebuild the lodge.