An Okanagan couple was among those who fled the destructive wildfire in Jasper.
Scott and Lorraine Urquhart of Kelowna were camping when they suddenly had to flee for safety.
The couple, and their daughter, were in their RV at a campground just south of Jasper on Monday night when fast-moving flames roared into the area.
“The flames were coming up over the crest and the mountains were showing it at the same time. It was big, and it was coming at us,” Scott Urquhart told Global News.
“We had warnings: Get out right now,” said Lorraine Urquhart. “It was a panicked feeling.”
The trio hit Highway 16, the only route that was open to escape the threatening fire. And they soon found themselves on a road packed with others doing the same.
“There was an awful lot of people and it was just car after car after car for miles,” said Scott Urquhart.
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“It got darker and darker and we had more and more traffic behind us. So finally, at Clearwater, we decided enough’s enough. We found the first pull-out and we pulled in there,” said Lorraine Urquhart.
The family spent the night on the side of the road in Clearwater. When they woke up, they were surrounded by many others doing the same.
“We got up in the morning and the whole place was loaded with RVs, you know, just loaded,” said Lorraine Urquhart.
The family then drove home, where they are now safe but are expressing sorrow for the picturesque town that won’t be so scenic anymore.
“Very, very sad for Jasper,” said Lorraine Urquhart.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
