Campers who fled the fire in Jasper National Park last week are frustrated by a lack of information from Parks Canada about when they can retrieve the RVs they left behind.
Angie and George Fraser stopped in Jasper, Alta., on their way back from Alaska. The Florida couple were in the town of Jasper with their dogs on July 22 when they got the evacuation order.
They had no time to drive northeast along Highway 16 to hitch up their trailer at the Snaring overflow campground. Visitors and residents were being directed to take the highway west into British Columbia.
After making stops in McBride and Prince George, B.C., the Frasers circled back into Alberta and are in Hinton waiting for the moment they can get their trailer and head back to the United States.
“The two choices are wait for re-entry or I guess we go home and then come back again,” George Fraser said. “We’re talking five to six days just to get home.”
Some tourists who fled Jasper National Park during the wildfire evacuation are hoping to get back in to retrieve passports, RVs and camping gear.
The couple have been staying in a Hinton hotel with their dogs, scouring Facebook and other websites for information. A telephone town hall for evacuees Monday didn’t give them the guidance they were looking for. They haven’t seen information from Parks Canada that could help.
“It is all geared toward the Jasper and Albertan residents which we understand should be a priority,” Angie Fraser said.
“At some point though, as a national park, you need to realize you had visitors there. What is your process? What’s your protocol in a crisis for them?”
The Frasers have learned that their trailer wasn’t damaged or destroyed. The couple’s passports are in their trailer. They are now considering stopping at the U.S. consulate in Calgary to get emergency replacements so they can go back home.
In an email to CBC News, Parks Canada said they know people want to get their vehicles out of the park but officials still can’t provide a timeline.
“We do know that there has been some structural damage to campgrounds, but we do not yet know the extent. Assessments are ongoing,” spokesperson Michelle Macullo wrote.
Macullo said Parks Canada needs to remove dangerous trees and contaminated materials, repair utilities and ensure air quality is safe before they can let people back into campgrounds. She added the risk of fire is still high along Highway 16 and the Icefields Parkway.
“We recognize this is a difficult time not just for displaced residents, but also for visitors who are wishing to reunite with their belongings,” Macullo said.
“The fire remains out of control. We must ensure the safety of first responders and visitors to facilitating re-entry.”
Lack of information
The Frasers aren’t the only visitors frustrated by a lack of information. Dave Kaegi and Sally Thomson from Revelstoke, B.C., were staying at the Wabasso campground south of the town of Jasper when they saw what they believe was the lightning strike that ignited the fire.
“We saw a brown mushroom cloud rising, like a nuclear bomb going off and it was directly overhead,” Thomson said.
Moments later they saw a helicopter with a water bucket fly by and started to hear sirens.
The couple believed they would lose precious minutes hooking up their trailer, so they jumped in their vehicle and fled the campground.
After numerous attempts to get information from Parks Canada, they decided to return to Revelstoke. Kaegi understands that stabilizing Jasper townsite needs to be a priority but he wishes Parks Canada acknowledged that campers are anxiously awaiting information about whether their RVs are damaged or destroyed.
“To say, folks, we are busy fighting fire. We know you have left your equipment,” Kaegi said. “We will get back in touch with you.”
Both couples say the criteria for re-entry set by the Municipality of Jasper on Monday seems to be putting campers and residents on the same timeline.
Those conditions include the restoration of basic emergency services, health care, utilities and public works, and access to services like gas stations, pharmacies, grocery stores and banks.
Kaegi, Thomson and the Frasers argue campers just need a short window of time to retrieve their trailers.