Rain and cooler weather bring relief from Jasper fire

No deaths or injuries have been reported so far, with officials crediting the early evacuation efforts.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith became tearful during a Thursday news conference when recounting the details of the damage, but said “potentially 30 to 50%” of buildings had been destroyed.

Ms Smith became visibly emotional as she described the beauty of the park and its significance to the community, which relies largely on tourism. Some 2.5 million people visit the park, and nearby Banff National Park, each year.

More than 20,000 tourists and 5,000 residents fled the park and its township – popular tourist spots – earlier this week.

Hundreds of firefighters from around the world have been deployed to help with the response.

Officials on Thursday described the fire as a “monster”, with flames that at one point reached 100m (328ft) high in some places and that moved swiftly.

On Wednesday, winds pushed the blaze, which was sparked by lightning, 5km (3 miles) to the town in less than 30 minutes.

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.