‘Wall of Fire’ Devastates Town, Thousands Forced to Evacuate as Wildfires Sweep US and Canada

Wildfires have spread across parts of Canada and the US, forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

In the Canadian Rockies town of Jasper in Alberta, officials warned of a “wall of fire” as flames reached 100m (328ft) high and spread three miles (5km) in less than 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in California, a man was arrested on suspicion of starting a wildfire near Chico after he allegedly pushed a burning car into a gully.

Combined, the fires have forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

‘The worst nightmare‘

Alberta is facing around 176 wildfires of which 50 are burning out of control, with Jasper among the worst-affected areas.

The wildfires destroyed potentially 50% of the structures in the popular tourist town, as firefighters battled to save as many buildings as possible.

Jasper draws in more than two million tourists a year and was evacuated on Monday, with officials estimating there were up to 10,000 people in the town and a further 15,000 visitors in the park.

“There is no denying that this is the worst nightmare for any community,” Alberta premier Danielle Smith told reporters, while fighting back tears.

“We’re seeing potentially 30% to 50% structural damage… that’s going to be a significant rebuild,” she said.

As well as sending in emergency crews from across the country, Canada is also set to receive a total of 400 firefighters from Mexico, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand in the coming days.

In April, the federal government warned a combination of high temperatures and dry forests could create tinderbox conditions for a potentially catastrophic year of wildfires.

The fire in Jasper was caused by a lightning strike and fuelled by strong winds, according to Parks Canada.

Flames in the blaze rose and strong winds on Wednesday pushed the fire several miles in less than half-an-hour, according to Alberta public safety and emergency services minister Mike Ellis.

“Any firefighter will tell you there’s little to nothing you can do when you have a wall of flames coming at you like that,” he said.

‘A big, big problem’

Hundreds of miles away in California, a man was arrested on suspicion of starting a wildfire.

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said in a statement the suspect was detained after he was identified as the person seen pushing a flaming car into a gully on Wednesday afternoon.

The vehicle was allegedly responsible for triggering what is being called the Park Fire.

It spread overnight from about 1,400 acres (567 hectares) on Wednesday near Chico, California, to about 125,000 acres (50,585 hectares) on Thursday afternoon.

The 42-year-old was detained by arson investigators and is set to appear in court on Monday.

Tim Fike, Forest Service incident commander at the Gold Complex, said strong winds were plaguing crews at the Park Fire, causing new spot fires up to a mile beyond the main fire lines.

“That’s been a big, big problem on the Park Fire right now,” Mr Fike said.