Amid the devastation of the wildfires that ravaged Canada’s Jasper National Park, a remarkable 18-year-old emerged as a hero, saving over a dozen people from danger.
Colleen Knull, a volunteer firefighter and kitchen aide at a local lodge, was hit with an evacuation order one late July Monday. Stepping outside, she saw smoke billowing up the mountainsides and realized that there were still campers in the area.
Promptly alerting everyone at the lodge, Knull set out to gather the campers. She managed to assemble 16 people ready to evacuate, but with darkness approaching, the only escape route was a grueling 4-hour hike through challenging terrain.
Using her familiarity with the area and her tracking skills, Knull guided the group along the trail, with the hikers relying on head torches and phone flashlights to navigate the dark.
“I had previously ridden a horse up to that lodge on the same trail, and my employer and I had cleared 67 logs on the way up,” Knull told CTV News. “So, I used my tracking skills to follow the cut logs and horse tracks.”
Rebecca Tocher, one of the hikers in Knull’s group, recalled, “The smoke was intense, my eyes were burning, and ash was constantly falling. Colleen was an exceptional leader, ensuring everyone worked together and stayed safe.”
Remarkably, all 16 hikers were safely evacuated before the fires reached their location and were transported in the back of Knull’s pickup truck.
Reflecting on the experience, Knull expressed that it only strengthened her resolve to pursue a career as a full-time professional firefighter.