Jasper evacuees forced into B.C. to flee fires told to make U-turn to Alberta for aid

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Thousands of wildfire evacuees forced from Jasper National Park into British Columbia along smoke-choked mountain roads Monday were directed Tuesday to make a wide U-turn and head home if they needed a place to stay. Alberta fire officials said B.C. has its hands full with its own wildfires and evacuations. “The issue is the severity of wildfire activity and evacuations in B.C. proper,” Stephen Lacroix, managing director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, told reporters during a video conference. “They had no capacity to house Albertans.” Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said reception centres were being set up in Grande Prairie to the north and Calgary to the south. Ellis told evacuees to take massive detours, either through Prince George, B.C., proceeding north and east to Grande Prairie, or south to Kamloops before going east to Calgary. “One fire is approximately 12 kilometres south of Jasper on both sides of the (Athabasca) River and wind…

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