Rain and cooler weather bring relief from Jasper fire

Rain and cooler temperatures have offered some respite for firefighters battling fast-moving fires that may have destroyed up to half of the historic Canadian town of Jasper.

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

Around 10-15 mm (0.4-0.5in) of rainfall fell in the national park on Thursday night as crews take the opportunity to suppress the wildfire and reduce its spread.

But officials say the blaze remains out of control and the relief may be only temporary, with more warm and dry weather in the forecast.

Fire activity is “significantly subdued” with the weather change, park officials said in an update.

Entire streets have been levelled by the blazes in the town in the province of Alberta, with video released on Wednesday showing smouldering rubble where homes once stood.

The most significant structural damage from the fire is on the west side of town, Jasper National Park reported late on Thursday night local time.

Firefighters have prevented “significant” damage on the town’s east side.

Officials were able to confirm that critical infrastructure was protected, including the hospital, the public schools and activity centre, and the wastewater treatment plant.

The park said that “some homes and businesses have been lost” as well as some of the bridges in town and throughout the park itself.

Some 36,000 hectares (89,000 acres) of land has so far been affected.

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.

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

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.