Wildfires that have burned through Jasper, AB, in the last 24 hours have started bearing down on Golden, BC. The Town of Golden said “structures” have been lost already. Hwy. 95 is closed from Golden to Radium Hot Springs to the south. There is an evacuation order in place for the area of Forest Service Rd. and “properties along the Columbia River as it runs beside Hwy. 95.”“We do believe structures have been lost, but we have no further information on how many or what type of structures at this time," town officials told CTV BC journalist Alanna Kelly. .The town subsequently posted to social media that the fires, 1.33 square kms wide and burning south and west of Golden, spread across the Columbia River and destroyed “several structures.”“The fire remains active,” the town posted to Instagram Thursday morning, adding the rain has helped.“The leading edge of the fire currently lies on the west side of the valley approximately across from Mitchell Rd. on the east side and the Rauch Rd. area on the west side. The fire on the east side of the river, near Rauch Rd. is being contained,” wrote the town. .Emergency crews through the Emergency Operation Centre in Golden “continue to work on the fire and in the surrounding areas to monitor and investigate potential hot spots and activity.” .The town is focused on residents’ safety, especially in south Golden where the flames are most dangerous, and “saving as many structures as possible,” however cannot report on the extent of the damage yet until an assessment has been conducted. There are now more than 230 fires burning out of control.
