**Update: Aug. 1.
The Municipality of Jasper posted a pet rescue update:
It counted rescues of 21 cats, one dog, four birds, two snakes, three frogs and two snails.
It also thanked Jasper bylaw and the Hinton & District SPCA for saving — and the safekeeping — of area pets.
“Your dedication and hard work have made a tremendous difference in ensuring the safety and well-being of our pets,” it said.
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About two dozen pets left behind in the sudden and devastating wildfire in Alberta’s Jasper National Park have been rescued by officials.
“Given how quickly the wildfire spread to town, many residents were unable to get home before evacuating and have been in turmoil over leaving pets behind,” Parks Canada said in a statement Saturday.
“Fifteen pets have been rescued so far.”
Those animals have been taken to nearby Hinton to be reunited with their families.
And support is pouring in for them.
“The Hinton & District SPCA donated their van, pet food and is providing shelter until these pets can be reunited with their families,” Parks Canada added.
By Sunday, the SPCA in Hinton said another eight cats and one bird were saved.
“A huge thank you to the bylaw officers for working tirelessly to get these animals as some don’t always want to come willingly and they continue to work on those still unaccounted or being even more unwilling at this time,” the SPCA said Sunday.
Echoing comments by Parks Canada, the animal welfare group also asked people not to judge the decision of pet owners who were forced to flee last week with only a few hours notice.
Within hours of the mandatory evacuation of the Rocky Mountain resort town and the closure of the entire national park, the wildfire was ripping through town on July 24.
This is the largest wildfire recorded in Jasper National Park in 100 years spanning now 32,000 hectares and expected to burn for weeks and months.
The town is no longer in the eye of the monster blaze.
But it did leave behind a trail of destruction.
One-third of the structures in town burned to the ground, most of those in the western part of town. The municipality provided a map showing the 358 destroyed buildings of the town’s 1,113 structures.
One of the first terrible images to emerge was posted by the co-owner of the Maligne Lodge.
But all major infrastructure — schools, water plant, hospital and town buildings — survived unscathed.
Officials have said people will not be allowed back home for weeks. It will take a while to reestablish power in the parts of town that escaped the blaze.
“Our goal is to control this wildfire and we can only reopen when safe to do so,” Parks Canada said Sunday. “This is the largest wildfire recorded in Jasper National Park in the last 100 years, and ensuring that residents and visitors are safe to return will take time”
