Image source, Getty Images

We're going to be ending our live coverage shortly. Here's a reminder of the latest developments.

Overnight, rain provided some assistance to firefighters working to subdue 176 wildfires (54 out of control) burning across Alberta, Canada.

Officials are due to tour the town of Jasper, which saw 33% of its structures suffer either partial or total damage, possibly including the mayor's own home.

Over 17,000 Albertans have been evacuated due to the blazes, including those who fled Jasper.

Residents of the small town will not be able to return until the fire is "dealt with" and Jasper's rebuild could take years, Mayor Richard Ireland said. He added that all of the town's critical infrastructure has survived.

Officials said that, at times, the walls of the blaze were as tall as 100m (328ft) and winds reached speeds of 150km/h (93 miles per hour)

You can read more of our coverage on the wildfire emergency:

• The latest updates on the fire can be found here
• You can find out more about wildfires happening across the US here
• And to read about how climate change worsens disasters like wildfires, look here

Image source, Tourism Jasper

The famous Rockies resort only has about 5,000 residents but Jasper National Park had almost 2.5 million visitors last year. All of the town's residents have been forced to flee, along with more than 20,000 tourists.

Jasper National Park "comprises rough-and-tumble mountains, valleys, glaciers, forests, alpine meadows, and rivers", National Geographic says, external.

It boasts "spectacular mountain drives" and is "chock-full of wildlife, home to some of North America’s healthiest populations of grizzly bears, moose, and elk", it says.

The town is the hub for most people that visit the park, and it's as yet unclear how much of the town will be left after the wildfire is extinguished.

Image source, Tourism Jasper

Image source, Tourism Jasper

Karyn Decore, owner of Maligne Lodge, one of the oldest hotels in Jasper, told the BBC she was "horrified and devastated" when she saw images of her hotel burning from the fires.

The managers of the hotel went door to door to ensure every guest had cleared the property before the fire reached it, she said.

Managers helped around 100 staff working at the hotel - many of whom are foreign workers and don't have vehicles - coordinate rides out of the city to drive west towards British Columba.

"It's really hard to for everyone to comprehend that we lost one of our properties," she says.

To know that her family and employees have no place to live and may not have jobs in the immediate future is "heart-breaking", she says.

Image source, Facebook/ Jasper National Park

In addition to the news conference by provincial officials, we've also just received an update from Jasper National Park.

In a statement, the park says that "the priority for the 154 firefighters in Jasper is to put out any hot spots in the outskirts of Jasper and in the trees directly surrounding the town of Jasper and structures".

Out of a total of 1,113 structures in the town, 358 have been "destroyed".

But "all critical infrastructure in Jasper was successfully protected" - including schools, a hospital, and a water treatment plant.

Winds of up to 30 km/h (19mph) are forecast this evening, which "may increase fire activity".

The park calls on residents to be patient as emergency officials continue to assess the damage.

"We appreciate how hard it is to wait for confirmation about your homes," the statement says.

Image source, Facebook/ Jasper National Park

Moving to questions from the media now, and Christie Tucker is asked what will be done to manage hot and dry conditions, which are set to worsen.

She says the firefighter teams on the ground are "exceptionally aware" of the possibility the fire could move or change quickly.

Fire bans are in place to reduce any addition human-caused fires and a lot of recreational areas are of peak concern, so she asks people to respect the bans.

Then asked about Jasperites returning home, Stephen Lacroix echoes what was said by officials earlier- that the town site must be safe before anyone can re-enter the town.

Clean up efforts are still needed, and emergency services and water need to be re-established before that can happen, he says.

Stephen Lacroix, the senior assistant deputy minister and managing director at Alberta Emergency Management Agency is next to speak.

He offers his thoughts to the people of Jasper "who are undergoing a difficult time" and says the government of Alberta "has their backs".

The fires across Alberta have caused around 17,100 people to flee their homes.

He adds that recent rains have made a difference in the fire activity, but hot and dry conditions are expected after the weekend, so he warns Albertans to stay vigilant and follow fire bans and restrictions.

Christie Tucker, information unit manager for Alberta Wildfire, begins a press conference by provincial fire officials by noting that 51 fires are burning "out of control" around the province.

But thankfully, no new fires have started in the past day.

But she says that conditions are still ideal for new wildfires to kick off, despite some recent rain.

Image source, CPAC

Missed that press conference from Canadian officials? Here's what they said:

• Some 33% of Jasper's buildings have suffered either partial or total damage, however all of the town's critical infrastructure has survived
• Most of the damage occurred in west Jasper

• The blaze remains out of control, but the fire "activity" has been significantly subdued after cool, rainy weather, however Monday is expected to be hot and dry
• At times, the fire was as tall as 100m (328ft) and winds reached speeds of 150km/h (93 miles per hour)
• Power will remain off while safety assessments are carried out
• The mayor of Jasper, Richard Ireland, will tour the hardest-hit areas of town today, including his neighbourhood in west Jasper
• Residents will not be able to return until the fire is "dealt with" and Jasper's rebuild could take years, Ireland said

Mayor Richard says "where the fire did the most damage, that's where my home is".

"How I will react remains to be seen."

The devastation intimately effects him, too, he reminds reporters throughout the briefing.

The mayor of Jasper says that of the around 1,100 structures in Jasper, over 300 have been destroyed by the wildfires.

He says the "significant damage appears to be in the west end of town" and that it would "hit hardest on our residents".

Talking about the effectiveness of the preparation for the wildfires, he says what they could do to protect the town "was done".

Mayor Richard says "higher, dryer" temperatures are expected by Monday, after the current cool, rainy weather has passed.

"There is no predictability until the fire can be deemed under control," he says.

Image source, Joe Oliver via Reuters

Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland has fought to hold back tears throughout the briefing.

"The fact that a wildfire continues to ravage Jasper National Park - it surrounds our community, in a sense - until that is dealt with, and people can return safely, our re-entry plans are on hold," he says.

The mayor says that today is a "better day" and that a "glimmer of hope" has started to emerge.

He predicts the rebuild could take years, but said that detailed information residents have been looking for will be coming soon.

"It feels a bit like a turning point," he says.

Image source, Jasper National Park

Ireland says the pain that will be felt by the people of Jasper "almost defies description, it's beyond comprehension".

He says he will take a tour of Jasper today: "I am prepared for the worst areas, I hope."

People being able to re-enter Jasper is a possibility, he says, and people will soon start to get official notifications whether or not their home and businesses still stand.

All critical infrastructure has been saved, he adds, though they need to be assessed for safety, and the railways will be operational again.

The mayor of Jasper says that despite the best preparation and years of training, the nature of the fire "humbled the humans on the ground".

Richard Ireland adds that "nature prevailed" with 100m (328 ft) high walls of flames that was metres wide.

He says the fire continues to burn and that later today more details will emerge on the extent of the damage, adding that 70% of Jasper appears undamaged, but could still be impacted by things like smoke damage.

Image source, Getty Images

Premier Smith says there's a lot of work ahead but expresses optimism about restoring the popular tourist destination's beauty.

"We are not going to lose the enduring magic of Jasper," she says.

Federal Minister Harjit Sajjan speaks next, and thanks firefighters for their work and for saving "so many" lives.

He mentions the speed of the winds that fed the raging wildfire - 150km/h - which contributed to its rapid spread.

A wall of fire was at times as tall as 100m, authorities say.

Firefighters from as far as New Zealand have been deployed to help stop the spread of the 1,160 fires burning across Canada.

Preliminary assessments show around 33% of the Jasper township has suffered "partial or total" loss, Smith says.

This is better than expected, but still a significant amount of damage.

"Jasperites" who have been evacuated from their homes will be unable to return for several weeks, she says, which is a "harsh reality" for residents.

The government has brought forward an emergency payment policy that anyone from Jasper who was forced to flee is eligible for and can apply for online.

The most significant structural damage is on the west side of Jasper but all major infrastructure seems to be protected, Danielle Smith continues.

Smith adds that the protected infrastructure includes the hospital, schools, and wastewater plants.

She says the assessments continue and that the conditions need to be safe for a detailed assessment to happen, adding that power remains shut off but will be restored in the coming days.

Premier Danielle Smith has opened the press conference by saying that the fire activity has been significantly subdued.

However, "the fire is still out of control and remains unsafe".

Some firefighters have lost their homes, she said, before thanking emergency workers for their bravery.

Image source, BC Wildfire Service

In Alberta, 176 wildfires are burning across the province and 54 of those are classified as out of control. Over 17,000 Albertans have been evacuated due to the blazes.

In British Columbia, the province neighbouring Alberta to the west, more than 400 wildfires have been burning and dozens of evacuation orders have been issued.

In the US, more than 3,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the state of California because of the Park fire, which continues to rage out of control.

A man has been arrested in connection with that fire, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

The states of Oregon, Montana and Utah also continue to deal with wildfires.

The overall number of fires has decreased around the world over the last two decades.

But researchers say climate change could bring more lightning to forests in northern reaches of the globe, increasing the risk of wildfires.

We're about to hear the first update today on the Alberta wildfires, coming up at around 15:00EST (20:00BST).

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the federal emergency preparedness minister, Harjit Sajjan, will speak to media after touring a fire command centre in Hinton, about 70km (43 miles) northeast of the town of Jasper.

They will be accompanied by Mike Ellis, public safety minister for the province, and Todd Loewen, the provincial forestry minister.