CANMORE – Bow Valley residents are opening their hearts and homes to residents and tourists who have been forced to flee Jasper because of the devastating wildfires that ravaged the national park community.
Community leaders have also secured a space in Canmore for locals to drop off any donations of clothes and other personal items for evacuees, who were given less than two hours’ notice to get out of town Monday night.
From offers of backyards to park campers, to spare rooms and couches to crash on, displaced Jasper residents and tourists are being offered temporary shelter from Canmore and Banff to Lac Des Arcs, Exshaw and Dead Man’s Flats.
Long-time Canmore resident Sharla Hanna, who heads up Bow Valley Road Conditions, said members of the Facebook group have been offering accommodations for Jasper residents and tourists without a place to stay.
“It’s heartbreaking to see the devastation with the fires, but I am not surprised by the generosity of people,” she said.
“You’re seeing offers of people saying 'I've got a bed, I’ve got a backyard, I’ve got a parking for a camper' – everything is being offered up.”
For donations, the location for drop-off is 100B-56 Lincoln Park.
Organizers are asking for seasonal clothing in good condition, pet food, toilettries, baby toys and toys for kids under six years of age, as well as gift certificates for grocery stores, Shoppers Drug Mart and gas stations.
About 4,700 residents and 20,000-plus tourists were forced to flee Jasper on Monday and into Tuesday as two wildfires burning in the south and the north of the community closed in.
On Wednesday night, the fire reached the national park townsite, burning buildings to the ground.
Jasper’s Mayor Richard Ireland sent out a message to residents of his town on Thursday morning.
“I write to you today with profound sorrow as we begin to come to terms with the devastating impact of last night’s wildfire that has ravaged our beloved community,” he said.
“The destruction and loss that many of you are facing and feeling is beyond description and comprehension; my deepest sympathies go out to each of you.”
According to a post from Jasper National Park at about 10:30 a.m. Thursday (July 25), there have been no reported injuries as a result of the wildfire and all residents, visitors and first responders are confirmed safe.
“Significant structural firefighting reinforcements arrived throughout the night and have continued to assist with firefighting efforts in the community overnight and this morning,” the federal agency wrote on social media.
Due to the ongoing fire conditions and the focus is on fighting the fire, Parks Canada says it is impossible to share information about specific locations and the extent of damage at this time.
"As you can understand, the accuracy of this information is critical because it has a direct impact on members of the community,” the federal agency wrote.
“While we understand people are desperate to know about the status of our community, homes, workplaces, businesses, and cherished places we will need some time to stabilize this incident as we access and assess structures.”
Parks says the fire emergency evolved rapidly from the first report of a wildfire starting to the northeast of the town of Jasper on the evening of July 22, just after 7 p.m. to a second fire south of town shortly after.
“Within 48 hours, the wildfires reached town,” they wrote.
A small amount of rain fell overnight in Jasper National Park, but fire personnel say it was nt enough to help stop the fire, which remains out-of-control.
“Parks Canada, the Municipality of Jasper, and our partners from Alberta and across Canada are continuing to respond to this emergency,” according to Parks Canada.
“In Unified Command, Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper continue to manage this crisis from the Town of Hinton.”
Bow Valley residents are no strangers to disasters, having survived the devastating 2013 floods when homes were washed away in swollen creeks, neighbourhoods were evacuated, and roadways were destroyed.
“It’s just a strong community here of people wanting to help each other – it’s that human connection,” said Hanna.
“Sometimes these days I feel like that human connection’s gone, but then you see something happen like the Jasper fire and it comes back strong.”
Some of the temporary accommodation offers in the Bow Valley include:
“I have room for a couple of campers in my yard in Lac Des Arcs and an extra room,” wrote Helen Rose.
“We have a small but separate double room with main bathroom next door available in our condo in 3 Sisters Canmore if needed for short-term. Good for single or couple. Parking space underground or visitor spaces. Can be pet friendly but must be good with dogs as we have a 3 year-old pooch,” said Victoria Smith.
“I have a sofa bed in living room that can sleep 2 in Canmore. Pets are welcome if they are OK with my service dog,” wrote Wendy Everett.
“I have some Industrial RV/storage land in Exshaw if anyone involved in the fire evacuations with a camper/motorhome/vehicle needs a place to camp out for a while,” said Joel Fraser.
