Summary

  • A fire in the tourist town of Jasper in Alberta, Canada is still burning out of control and locals are warned it is unsafe to return home

  • Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says about 33% of Jasper buildings were destroyed or partially lost after a wall of fire as high as 100m (330ft) swept through

  • About 25,000 people were evacuated from the resort town and surrounding national park earlier this week after a lightning storm sparked an out-of-control fire

  • The fire was fuelled by 60mph (100km/h) winds and levelled homes and businesses

  • Locals are waiting to find out the extent of the damage after the Alberta premier warned up to 50% of the town could be destroyed

  • No deaths have been reported

Live Reporting

Edited by Emily McGarvey

  1. Rain and cooler weather bring some relief

    It rained overnight in Jasper and it is forecast to rain some more today and tomorrow. The temperatures have also eased back from the heat of the past week.

    The weather could help keep the fires at bay for the next 72 hours, according to Jasper National Park.

    About 10-15 mm (0.4-0.5in) of rainfall fell in the national park last night.

    Town authorities said rain and cooler weather meant fire activity was "significantly subdued", but the fire was still out-of-control as of last night.

  2. Map shows areas affected by Canada wildfires

    A map showing fire locations in Alberta, and British Columbia, Canada.

  3. WATCH: Streets levelled in tourist town of Jasper

    'There's mum and dad's house' - wildfire razes half of Jasper

  4. How did the Jasper fire start?

    The fire in the town of Jasper in Alberta was sparked by a lightning storm earlier this week.

    The Jasper National Park area is incredibly dry because of a period of drought. Wind gusts as fast at 60mph (100km/h) pushed two separate fires towards the town and those fires then merged.

    The flames reached 100m (328ft) high in some places, covering "an inordinate amount of space in a very little amount of time", one official said.

    The wildfire raced the 3 miles (5km) to Jasper in less than 30 minutes, according to Mike Ellis, Alberta's minister for public safety.

    "Any firefighter will tell you there is little to nothing you can do when you have a wall of flames coming at you like that," he said.

  5. Authorities to give update on Jasper wildfire

    Brandon Livesay
    North America reporter

    Fire damage in the town of Jasper, AlbertaRyan Jespersen

    Video filmed in Jasper shows homes levelled

    We're resuming or live coverage of the wildfires which have devastated parts of Canada.

    We'll hear shortly from Alberta authorities on the extent of the damage in the tourist town of Jasper.

    Yesterday, the Alberta premier was in tears at a media update as she warned up to 50% of the famous town could be destroyed.

    The most recent update we had from officials was last night. It said firefighters were still trying to save buildings in Jasper but critical infrastructure, like the hospital, schools and a wastewater treatment plant, had been protected.

    Bridges in the town have also been damaged, making an assessment of the damage difficult.

    Overnight rain and cooler temperatures have brought some relief but conditions will soon return to hot and dry.

    Stay with us for live updates.