Multiple wildfires in Jasper National Park flared up late Monday night, forcing all park visitors along with the 4,700 residents of the town of Jasper to evacuate with little notice. North bound and south bound travel along Highway 93 near Athabasca River is closed in all directions due wildfires.

The photos and video on social media show bumper-to-bumper cars and trucks inching ahead in the darkness. The first alert from Alberta Emergency Alert came down around 8:30 p.m. Monday and the alerts continued through the night advising everyone located in Jasper and Jasper National Park to evacuate.

RCMP advised those evacuating that Highway 16 was being closed for westbound travel at Jasper Park gates, on the east side. Eastbound access to Jasper was also closed during firefighting efforts. Travel is not recommended west of Hinton.

For those travelling west they have to detour north through Grande Prairie on Hwy 40 or south to Hwy 1 through to British Columbia. Where travelling from British Columbia to Alberta, the detour was south on Hwy 1 or north on Hwy 2.