'Holy s***': Jasper couple remembers ash falling like rain during escape from wildfire

A long-time Jasper business owner said this summer was his best yet — until his family was forced to close up, pack up and flee the raging wildfire that tore through the town Wednesday.

• Visit our wildfires page for the latest news, emergency alerts and more

Glen Leitch and his wife Wendy Leitch own and operate the Patricia Street Deli, which recently celebrated 20 years in business. Now, the couple isn't sure when – and if – they will be able to open again.

"It's been a wonderful ride," Glen said. "Not saying it's over, but I will say it's been heartbreaking to see, no matter what we did, we had to leave and we don't know what we're going home to."

Glen and Wendy arrived in Beaumont Thursday afternoon after driving 1,500 kilometres from Jasper to B.C. and back to Alberta after an evacuation order was issued for the entire Jasper National Park on Monday night.

The couple said it was a terrifying trip, waiting stuck in traffic for hours outside of town as the sky darkened and filled with smoke.

"I walked out onto the street to see why we weren't moving, and as I walked back, ashes were falling like it was rain, and you couldn't see the street lights," Wendy said.

Glen said he'll never forget hearing that first responders were being pulled out of the town.

"There's nothing they can do," Glen said. "I couldn't stop crying, because there's a certain level of, 'Holy s***, this is not going well' … Mother Nature had taken over."

Pictures and video coming out of the town Wednesday and Thursday show significant damage to homes and business, with officials saying the worst of it is located on the west side of the townsite.

• Alberta premier says a third, perhaps half, of all Jasper buildings destroyed by fire
• Jasper Park Lodge reports most structures 'standing and intact' amid wildfire

It's devastating to think of their neighbours and loved ones losing homes and livelihoods to the fire, but Glen and Wendy are grateful that no one was hurt and they believe their own home was spared.

Fearing the worst for their little deli, the couple broke into tears of happiness when their daughter showed them a picture of Patricia Street with their building still standing.

"We feel grateful that we are there, we may be able to go back," Glen said. "And everybody got out."

As of Thursday night, officials said the two fires had merged into one, which remained burning out of control at an unknown size.

There is no timeline yet on when officials expect the town will be safe to reenter, nor any information on the full extent of the damage.

"There's so many unknowns," Wendy added. "How long will it be before we can actually go back home and see what home looks like?"

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Marek Tkach