Many people across the country, including here in Ottawa, have connections to the popular town of Jasper, Alta., a vacation destination.
Some, with family members who evacuated, are watching anxiously from afar.
Thousands fled from the flames and smoke that closed in on the resort town.
Kevin Williamson’s daughter, son, and granddaughter packed up their car and left in the middle of the night.
“She started texting around one in the morning that they were being evacuated,” said Kevin Williamson, who lives in Ottawa. “She packed up her daughter and they started driving. Her husband, Tony, is head of security at the Jasper Lodge, so he had to stay, but he ended up meeting them later that morning.”
As the wildfire spread, it was chaos on the road.
“It was a lineup of cars. It was a long night, but they eventually made it,” he said.
For those who in the nation’s capital, it’s crippling to see the damage.
“It’s heartbreaking. I’m pretty sure my childhood house is gone. Most of my friends’ houses are gone or very badly damaged. A lot of my friends’ parents had businesses there as well,” said Miranda Olsen, who was born in Jasper but now lives in Ottawa.
It’s still not clear how much is left of the Rocky Mountain village. Alberta’s premier says up to half of all the buildings were burned in the blaze.
“The fire is not out completely yet. Just kind of waiting to see what’s going to come of it, because a lot of people, again, had homes and businesses that are either very, very damaged or just completely gone. So rebuilding is definitely in a lot of people’s future,” said Olsen.
Williamson’s family lived and worked at the historic Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. The last update from the resort indicated that the fire was on their doorstep, but the extent of the damage is still unclear.
“It’s tragic. You know, the whole town appears to be gone right off the map. So it’s just a lot to process and a lot of people that live in that town and work in that town now have nowhere to go,” said Williamson.
The lodge confirms that all employees and guests were able to leave safely. Williamson says his family is being taken care of at another Fairmont property in British Columbia until they can figure out next steps.