Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland choked up Wednesday night, reflecting on how an evacuation order issued days ago may have saved thousands of lives, while an out-of-control wildfire burned his community. A wildfire had threatened the Alberta mountainside townsite for days from the south, but finally reached it in the evening. Ireland knew little more than the rest of the public Wednesday night about the damage toll, as flames consumed multiple buildings, including the Maligne Lodge and at least the grounds of the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. “This is simply our community’s worst nightmare,” Ireland told CBC News. Parks Canada said “significant loss has occurred within the townsite” in a social media post at 10 p.m. MT, but was unable to “report on the extent of damage to specific locations or neighbourhoods at this time.”