SAM Magazine—Jasper, Alberta, July 25, 2024—A fast-moving wildfire complex blazed through popular resort town Jasper Wednesday evening. More than 5,000 residents and 20,000 tourists were evacuated from the town and surrounding area earlier this week.

Among the many businesses at risk from the fires is Marmot Basin, Jasper National Park’s only ski area.

Marmot does not operate during the summer months, and according to local reporting, the resort’s approximately 30 year-round staff were not on site when the evacuation alert for Jasper and Jasper National Park was issued Monday night.

Marmot’s immediate focus has been on the wellbeing of its people and securing temporary shelter during the evacuation, according to a memo from Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA) CEO Christopher Nicolson, who has been in contact with Marmot Basin president Jason Paterson.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said in a statement that initial reports estimate that 30-50 percent of Jasper townsite, north of Marmot Basin, was damaged as the fires burned through the area Wednesday night and into Thursday.

Firefighting personnel were forced to relocate from Jasper to Hinton just before the fire breached the townsite perimeter on Wednesday evening, according to an update from Parks Canada, which is managing the fire response.

Pierre Martel, the director of fire management for Parks Canada, described the complex as “a monster at that point” in a briefing on Thursday afternoon. He said the flames, fueled by drought and fanned by wind, had reached more than 300 feet as the fire approached Jasper.

The complex is still burning in the park, according to Martel, and could take weeks to contain.

Earlier this evening, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “Every federal agency is coordinated, sending resources to Jasper, deploying evacuations support to the area, and reinforcing firefighting efforts on the ground.”

Jasper National Park, along with nearby Banff National Park, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a top tourist destination in the Canadian Rockies.

There are 174 active wildfires burning in Alberta, and many other regions within western Canada are seeing significant wildfire activity. There are also fires burning in California and Utah in the United States.

In his memo, Nicolson noted “ski areas will have already had their wildfire emergency plans ready,” but added a reminder for operators who had not already done so “to connect with local wildfire officials to be sure contact information and equipment asset lists are current.”