B.C. towns full, Jasper wildfire evacuees directed to Alberta
British Columbians offer space in homes, businesses to help evacuees looping back to Calgary or Grande Prairie
For an update on the wildfire situation in B.C., visit: Progress made on several B.C. wildfires but many still rage.
Buses have been dispatched to B.C. to pick up wildfire evacuees from Jasper and transport them back to Alberta.
British Columbians flung open their doors to welcome the evacuees, even as government officials warned space in the province was limited.
"The reality is British Columbia does not have the accommodations for those thousands and thousands of additional evacuees," said B.C.'s Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma, while emphasizing the province was doing everything it could to support Albertan residents and tourists making their way through the province.
Government officials say at least 10,000 people were forced to evacuate from the mountain town of Jasper and an estimated 15,000 visitors in the national park were told to leave late Monday night as wildfire advanced toward the community.
With highways east toward Edmonton and south to Banff closed, they were asked to take a mountain road along Highway 16 into British Columbia where traffic was bumper-to-bumper and slow moving.
The nearest community was Valemount, B.C., where a welcome centre was immediately set up and residents rallied to find space for people to rest.
600 jammed into campsite meant for 100
Brian Oates is the manager of the Valemount Pines Golf & RV Park, which normally has a capacity of about 100. By Tuesday morning, he said, there were close to 600 people staying on his grounds.
"We said come here, stay with us as long as you need — we are here to help you and it's free of charge, as well," he said in an interview with CBC News.
"Seeing everybody coming here crying, they are upset and I'm glad we get to be able to brighten them up a little."
Valemount Mayor Owen Torgerson said the entire community of just over 1,000 people came together to help, from the grocery store opening its doors in the middle of the night, to residents opening up their living rooms and campgrounds. He himself spent some time directing traffic as hundreds of people began arriving in the dark.
"It takes a village," he said.
But even with that generosity, there was limited space in Valemount — and by 4:35 a.m. MT a notice on the municipality of Jasper's website was posted, telling evacuees that the community was full.
Day-long drives ahead for some evacuees
While drivers were asked to stop and rest as needed, those seeking official support from the Alberta government were directed to two emergency reception centres in Grande Prairie and Calgary.
That meant many more hours of driving, as people take Highway 16 through Prince George to head to Grande Prairie — a more than 900-kilometre drive — or head to Calgary via Kamloops, a journey of more than 1,000 kilometres.
Communities on the road said they were prepared to help evacuees in any way they can.
In Prince George, the city said an emergency reception centre, already set up to take evacuees from wildfires burning in B.C., had welcomed roughly 100 evacuees from Jasper overnight, and a space had been set up for more to "rest and refresh" before moving on, either to reception centres in Alberta or to private lodging elsewhere.
In Facebook groups, residents posted offers of room, food and other donations.
In Clearwater, along Highway 5 north of Kamloops, Mayor Merlin Blackwell said although hotel rooms are full, the local tourism association has been putting together a list of resources available for people passing through. Businesses have opened early to make sure people have access to food, bathrooms and other essentials.
"People seem to be organically finding people to [help]," he said.
Goal is to provide 'safe passage'
Blackwell was interviewed on CBC's The Early Edition alongside Emergency Management Minister Ma, who said she was "incredibly grateful" for the offers of help that had been streaming in from British Columbians.
Ma said the Alberta government is directing evacuees back to Calgary and Grande Prairie, so B.C.'s primary focus is to "provide them safe passage" and "provide them whatever support we can as British Columbians."
She noted many of the communities welcoming evacuees from Alberta were already dealing with the fallout from more than 400 wildfires burning in B.C., which have put thousands on evacuation alert and forced hundreds from their homes.
"The reality is that British Columbia is already facing its own wildfire situation and with tourism season and our own evacuees, accommodations are limited, which is why Alberta is directing people to go loop back to Alberta where they can provide longer-term support," Ma said.
"These are challenging times."
Alberta officials shared the same message at a news conference Tuesday morning, with Stephen Lacroix, deputy minister of Alberta's emergency management agency, saying that while B.C. had been "very gracious in facilitating the movement of Albertans," the province simply had "no capacity to house Albertans" at this time.
Back in Valemount, though, volunteers said they were ready to help as much as they could.
"I've got probably about 24 people sleeping on the floor from various countries and a few Jasper locals," said Pete Pearson, a village councillor and president of the local legion, which opened its doors to evacuees.
In a Tuesday morning interview, Pearson said the community was ready to host as many people as it could handle.
"It's going to be a challenge but several organizations are stepping up," he said. "I'll cook pancakes until I run out."
But by afternoon, the small mountain town had largely returned to normal.
Transit buses from Jasper, along with some school buses, had been sent to Valemount to provide rides to tourists or anyone without their own vehicles to make their way to Calgary.
Buses were also dispatched to transport evacuees in Prince George up to Grande Prairie, and many of those who could drive themselves had already moved on.
Among those waiting for a ride in was Bill Holleman, a tourist from Colorado who was disappointed to have his Jasper vacation cut short.
But, he said, he was incredibly grateful for the help he and his family had received in Valemount.
"Everyone here has been wonderful," he said.
With files from Carolina de Ryk, Tom Popyk, The Early Edition, CBC News Network and CBC Edmonton