Jasper fire: More vehicles leave Jasper National Park as wildfires burn nearby

Parks Canada has confirmed that first responders are being relocated to Hinton as a result of “significant fire activity and forecasted strong winds.”

Vehicles and heavy equipment have been seen leaving Jasper National Park throughout Wednesday afternoon.

The park and townsite were evacuated on Monday night, leaving only essential personnel and firefighters behind.

“If you have not yet evacuated town you must leave now,” Parks Canada wrote in a social media post. “This is for your own safety and to allow these critical operations to protect the town of Jasper to continue unimpeded. This decision has not been made lightly.”

The sky over the park has grown steadily darker throughout Wednesday afternoon as a result of wildfire smoke, and ash is raining from the sky. 

CTV News Edmonton has reached out to Parks Canada and the province of Alberta for more information.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson

This is a developing story; more information to come…