One Saskatchewan family’s journey out of a burning Jasper

Forest fires are causing chaos in Jasper, Alta., leading to the evacuation of thousands of people, including some from Saskatchewan.

One Saskatoon family had a harrowing experience as they had to flee while camping in Jasper. Bryan Sarauer shared, “We were kind of at the tail end of almost a month-long canoe and road trip that we had taken. We’d come down here from the Yukon, Alaska, and B.C.”

“Monday, it was a beautiful afternoon. We had been out canoeing not far from the townsite. And we came back in for supper.… When we started to have supper there was smoke and you could see helicopters flying around.”

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As the weather changed and the wind picked up, umbrellas were flying down the street, Sarauer recalled.

Soon, they realized they had to evacuate as roads were closing and the situation grew more dire. “We started noticing that the lineups at the gas stations were by then blocks long,” Sarauer said.

After receiving the evacuation order, they embarked on the journey back home, which ended up taking three days due to traffic congestion.

“It took us three hours to go less than three kilometres to get out of that campsite. That fire was moving at times faster than we were driving,” Sarauer added.

In less than two days, wildfires reached Jasper, burning multiple structures in the Alberta Rocky Mountain town on Wednesday night.

Approximately 25,000 people, including 5,000 residents of the town, were evacuated from the park, according to Parks Canada.

While Sarauer’s family faced a frightening situation, he acknowledged the greater impact on those living in Jasper. “It’s a place we really enjoy. My wife and I spent our honeymoon there almost 26 years ago.”

Regarding wildfires in Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Association (SPSA) reported that over 100 fires are still burning in the north, with 14 remaining uncontained as of Thursday afternoon.

SPSA vice-president Steve Roberts mentioned that the province is unable to provide personnel to assist in Alberta’s firefight but had received help from Manitoba and Ontario earlier in the week.

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