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A wildfire that has destroyed about a third of the western Canadian town of Jasper remains out of control, but rain and cooler weather are helping firefighters, authorities said.

The town of Jasper is located in Alberta’s mountainous Jasper National Park, which is a major tourist attraction. The town and park, which attract more than two million tourists each year, were evacuated Monday.

“Rain and cooler temperatures, along with the hard work of firefighters, have significantly reduced fire activity,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.

Smith told reporters it was “important to note that the fire is still not under control.”

“It remains dangerous for people to return,” he said.

As of Thursday night, the Jasper “wildfire complex,” which includes three separate fires, was estimated at 36,000 acres (about 89,000 acres), according to park officials. However, they cautioned that mapping the complex was difficult due to high winds and “extreme fire behavior.”

Meanwhile, Jasper City Council said at least 358 of the town’s 1,113 buildings — about 32 percent — had been destroyed.

⚠️ Jasper Wildfire Complex Update: Latest as of July 26th at 12:40 PM ⚠️ photo.twitter.com/LSIJrH8oE7

– Jasper National Park, Parks Canada (@JasperNP) July 26, 2024

Officials estimated about 10,000 people were in the town of Jasper and 15,000 visitors were inside the national park when the evacuations were ordered Monday.

David Leoni, one of thousands of evacuees, said his family lost the home they had lived in for 10 years.

“Even a day and a half after the incident, I still feel very shocked,” he told Canadian television channel CTV.

“I would love to go back and see what’s left… for me, psychologically, it’s – I think it’s good to turn the page a little bit and see for myself what it’s like.”

The bad impact of the climate crisis

The fires in the iconic national park, located about 370 kilometres (230 miles) west of the provincial capital, Edmonton, have drawn attention to the devastating wildfire season that has marked the summer months across North America.

The fire is one of hundreds burning across Western Canada, fueled by a heat wave and an increase in lightning strikes. At least 166 fires were burning in Alberta as of Friday, according to government tracking.

Scientists say the global climate crisis has extended the wildfire season in North America, with warmer temperatures creating drier conditions allowing fires to spread quickly. Climate change has also been blamed for an increase in the frequency of lightning strikes.

Canada experienced its most intense fire season on record in 2023, with more than 6,600 wildfires burning 15 million hectares (about 37 million acres) across the country, an area about seven times larger than the annual average.

South of the Canadian border, firefighters are also battling a number of blazes in the western United States, with more than 110 active fires covering 7,250 square kilometers (2,800 square miles) as of Friday.

Among the fires is the Park Fire in California, which has destroyed more than 130 structures after breaking out Wednesday. The fire, currently the state’s largest, started after a man pushed a burning car into a ditch in the city of Chico, authorities said.

In Oregon, search and rescue teams confirmed that a tanker plane crash killed a firefighter pilot in Oregon. The plane went missing Thursday while battling the Falls Fire in the eastern part of the state.

The largest active fire in the United States also burned in the state, with the Durkee Fire burning nearly 630 square miles (1,630 square kilometers) as of Friday.