Around 20,000 tourists and 5,000 residents have reportedly fled wildfires which have engulfed much of the Canadian Rockies town of Jasper.
The Jasper National Park area affected in Alberta province is estimated at 36,000 hectares, according to local officials.
Fires converged on the historic town driven by winds with gusts upwards of 100 kilometres an hour.
The latest update from the Municipality of Jasper said: “It is important to note that the fire is still out of control and significant work remains before conditions are safe enough to allow for limited re-entry into the park.
“Structural fire protection units are still fighting fires within the town and continue to fight fires moving from one building to another.
“We appreciate your patience as we work to make conditions in the town safe enough for a detailed assessment to be completed.”
Fires “significantly subdued” due to rain and cooler temperatures but conditions are forecast to return to being hot and dry.
“While rain in Jasper is a welcome sight, warm weather is forecasted and will increase wildfire activity,” the advisory warned.
An evacuation order said: “Structural fire protection units are still fighting fires within the town and continue to fight fires moving from one building to the other.”
Town mayor Richard Ireland described the destruction and loss as being “beyond description and comprehension”.
He said on Thursday: “Our first priority continues to be your safety and well-being. The incident management team together with responders on the ground, continue to work valiantly to protect our town – our home – and to co-ordinate supports for evacuees in other communities.”
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said on X/Twitter: “Every federal agency is co-ordinated, sending resources to Jasper, deploying evacuations’ support to the area, and reinforcing firefighting efforts on the ground.”