It was on July 22 that wildfires quickly approached the town of Jasper, nestled among the Canadian Rockies. 5,000 residents and around 20,000 visitors in the world heritage Jasper National Park were forced to evacuate in dramatic fashion.
Two days later, the fire made its way into the city. One third of all buildings was destroyed.
Devastating wildfire season
On July 27, Canada’s Minister of Emergency Preparedness, Harjit Sajjan, said 2.3 million hectares had burned in the state of Alberta alone.
But the forest fire season is far from over. A new wave of wildfires has swept across western Canada and especially the state of British Columbia, with over 370 active fires, 130 of which are burning out of control.
At the same time so says Canadian authorities that 2024 is already one of the most devastating wildfire seasons ever.
See the drone footage of charred Jasper in the video above.