Pinay recalls ordeal as wildfire hits Canada's tourist town

RED DEER, Alberta — A total of 350 Filipinos were evacuated from Canada’s alpine resort town of Jasper following the start of a wildfire in late July that threatened to burn down one of Canada’s national parks. 

Half of the number were temporary foreign workers working in the hospitality sector from the Jasper township and surrounding areas in the Jasper National Park, according to Calgary Consul General Emma Sarne, in an email interview with GMA News Online. 

The affected town residents immediately fled to neighboring towns of Hinton and Valemount in the province of British Columbia. 

World famous

Jasper is second home to Filipino permanent resident Maru Manugo, 37, who has lived in this tourist town since 2020 with her family.

The town serves as the commercial center for Jasper National Park, famous for its snow-capped Canadian Rockies, glacier fed-lakes and picturesque environment. 

“For us, Jasper is a wonderful town to raise kids, we can pretty much go anywhere by foot and we have a lovely community, almost everyone knows or is familiar with each other,” said Manugo in an interview.

She finds the mountains surrounding the town “therapeutic.” “We enjoy easy access to activities that are close to nature, [such as] hikes, picnics at lakes, biking, jogging and skiing,” she said.

Hours leading to the evacuation started like a normal, warm summer time in the town, said Manugo. 

“We were out walking, eating out, checking out souvenir shops,” she said. Around 7 p.m. on July 22, strong winds started to blow followed by the sky turning into a dark orange color. 

“Sprinkle of ashes began to fall on my face whenever I peeked outside to check the situation” she said. 

Meanwhile, vehicles started to line up at a nearby gas station, a sight she described as surreal. “The main street was full of cars lined up to fill up gas, a scene I have never seen in my entire stay here,” she said.

She was in the middle of packing and feeding her children dinner when the evacuation alert was announced at past 8 p.m. Shortly after, an evacuation order was issued. 

“It happened so fast. The next thing I saw outside was a gridlock of cars [trying to get out of town],” Manugo said.

Most residents fleeing Jasper spent two hours before getting to safety, she added.

Manugo made it to a friend’s farm in B.C. at two in the morning, without her husband who was stuck after a major highway into Jasper town was closed. They got reunited after two days and are now staying with friends in Grande Prairie, Alberta. 

Luckily for the family, their house in Jasper town located in between a gas station that exploded and a hotel that burned down, has been spared by the blaze. 

“Our hearts are breaking for our friends and neighbors whose houses and properties got destroyed,” she said.

“Help is overflowing, from cloths, toiletries, food donation to timely information dissemination regarding employment insurance benefits, evacuation payment application and other supports,” Manugo added.

Assistance, re-entry

The mandatory evacuation on late Monday evening not only forced evacuees to flee their homes, but also caused work displacements particularly those in the hospitality sector where many Filipino foreign workers are employed. 

PCG convened an online meeting with Filipino community leaders in Calgary, Edmonton and Grand Prairie on July 25. 

PCG also met with Filipino evacuees in Calgary on July 25 and Edmonton evacuees on July 28. On July 29, along with Filipino groups, PCG set up a booth at the Calgary reception center to distribute assistance to nationals forms to Filipino evacuees. 

Affected Jasper residents were given temporary housing and shelter in hotels and daily subsidies for basic needs by the Alberta provincial government. Other assistance included social, medical and mental health support. 

Meanwhile, Parks Canada is mourning the death of an Alberta wildfire member on the fire line. As of 2 p.m. on August 4, Parks Canada noted “significant growth” in area affected by the wildfire, now covering 34,000 hectares. Variable wind speed and direction created additional activity in several places, it said. 

In Jasper town, staged re-entry plan is underway. Perimeter fencing around damaged sites, hazard tree removal and clean up have been completed. 

The staged re-entry plan will depend on the ongoing fire activity, said officials on the town website. 

On Monday, owners of important infrastructures such as gas stations, grocery stores, pharmacies and schools were allowed to visit their properties to assess for damage. —KBK, GMA Integrated News