30% of buildings in the town of Jasper, Alberta have been destroyed in one of many wildfires burning throughout Canada.
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00:00Firefighters work to put out the smoldering remains of burned down buildings in the town
00:10site of Jasper in western Canada.
00:13Over 30% of buildings here are destroyed after wildfires tore through the historic town and
00:20the nearby Jasper National Park.
00:23Local officials and townspeople gathered to assess the damage and process their loss.
00:30I've seen memories of life and now it's just memories of family and fire.
00:49Wildfires continue to blaze throughout Canada.
00:52The roughly 175 active wildfires in Alberta province alone have already burned through
00:57an area the size of New Jersey.
01:00But it's the fire in Jasper that has drawn most concern, due to the destruction it's
01:05brought to a historic town and nearby national park.
01:10Alberta Premier Danielle Smith held back tears when discussing the devastation.
01:15For many generations, the town of Jasper and the parks surrounding it have been a source
01:22of pride with some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.
01:36And to those in Alberta and around the world who have experienced the magic of Jasper,
01:45the magic is not lost and it never will be.
01:50Jasper residents are among the 17,000 people in Alberta who have had to evacuate.
01:57If I break down now, what will I do?
02:00I will just sit and cry and nothing's going to change, right?
02:06Some traveled over 400 kilometers to Calgary only to be turned away, leading to an apology
02:11from the mayor.
02:13To those evacuees who did not immediately receive assistance, I apologize sincerely.
02:18I can only imagine what it must have been like to have to rapidly evacuate and then
02:22drive 12 to 15 hours to show up here and be met with closed doors.
02:31More than 50 of the active wildfires in Alberta are considered out of control.
02:362023 saw more wildfire damage than any other year in Canadian history.
02:42With more than half this year's summer still ahead, that record already looks under threat.
02:47Dolphine Chun and Chris Gorin for Taiwan Plus.