The wildfire has already destroyed a third of the popular tourist town of Jasper — and officials say the flames could stay ablaze for months.
The wildfire in Alberta, Canada, broke out a week ago — on the same day that the world saw the hottest day ever recorded. As of Sunday night, officials said the fire tearing through Jasper and Jasper National Park has burned an estimated 79,000 acres, about 123 square miles.
“We’re going to be working on this wildfire, we expect, over the next three months at least,” Landon Shepherd, a deputy incident commander, said at a news conference Saturday.
Late last week, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said that up to 50% of all buildings in Jasper had been destroyed by the flames. The latest numbers provided by the Municipality of Jasper indicate that out of the 1,113 structures within the town, 358 — about a third — have been destroyed.
The Jasper fire, currently considered to be “out of control,” is one of 125 active wildfires in Alberta. Other wildfires of note being battled elsewhere in the province include the Cattail Lake Complex, the Kettle River Complex, the Semo Complex and the Algar Lake Complex fires.