An “out of control” wildfire has devoured up to half of the main town in western Canada’s popular Jasper National Park, authorities said Thursday, with 400 foreign firefighters called in to help battle the blaze.
While the fire has so far caused no casualties, as many as 25,000 residents and tourists were evacuated from the area before the conflagration suddenly grew in size, overtaking firefighters.
“There is no denying that this is the worst nightmare for any community,” said Danielle Smith, Alberta province’s premier, adding that damage to the town was estimated at between “30 to 50 percent.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called images of the damage “heartbreaking,” and said his government had asked more than 400 firefighters from Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and South Africa to aid local authorities.
“Thank you for your courage, and for working non-stop to fight these wildfires,” he said in a post on social …