(Reuters) -A wildfire reached the Canadian city of Jasper, Alberta, on Wednesday, one of hundreds that devastated the western provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, as firefighters battled to save key facilities such as the Trans Mountain Pipeline, authorities said.
The region’s uncontrolled wildfires include 433 in British Columbia and 176 in Alberta, including more than a dozen in the oil sands hub of Fort McMurray.
The pipeline, which can carry 890,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) from Edmonton to Vancouver, runs through a national park in the Canadian Rockies near the picturesque tourist town, from which about 25,000 people had to evacuate on Tuesday.
“Firefighters … are working to save as many structures as possible and protect critical infrastructure, including the wastewater treatment plant, communications facilities and the Trans Mountain Pipeline,” Parks Canada said in a post on Facebook (NASDAQ:).
The pipeline operator did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, but previously said it was operating the pipeline safely and had deployed sprinkler protection as a preventive measure.
In its final update that day, Jasper National Park said it could not report on the extent of damage to specific locations or neighborhoods, and that it would provide further updates on Thursday.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government has approved Alberta’s request for federal assistance.
“We are immediately deploying Canadian Armed Forces resources, evacuation support and increased wildfire emergency response resources across the province – and we are coordinating firefighting and airlift assistance. Alberta, we have your back.”
The city and park, which attracts more than two million tourists annually, were evacuated Monday evening, at a time when officials estimated there were 15,000 visitors in the park.
Deteriorating air quality forced firefighters and others without breathing apparatus to evacuate to the town of Hinton, about 60 miles (100 km) away, park authorities said on Facebook Wednesday evening.
Parks Canada officials previously said they expected rain to arrive overnight.
