Parks Canada moves to shield Sunshine Village from nearby B.C. wildfire
Protective equipment has been set up at Sunshine Village to protect the ski resort from a wildfire being whipped by strong winds.
As the Verdant Creek fire in B.C. moves north and east, sprinklers, hoses and pipes have been moved to the ski resort in Banff National Park to defend the day lodge and other buildings, said Parks Canada spokeswoman Jane Park.
“We’ve erected structure protection equipment . . . to wet down any major facility if the fire moves closer,” said Park, a fire-vegetation specialist. Hiking trails at Sunshine Village are closed, though the gondola and day lodge are currently still operating, she said.
The fire that’s grown to an estimated 2,000 hectares has moved to within 2-1/2 kilometres of the resort, with the closest point being at Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, a mountain range away, said Park.
“The fire is on the other side of the divide . . . the fuel around Sunshine Village itself isn’t totally forested but rather alpine (meadow) vegetation,” she said.
Observing the progress of the fire remains difficult due to the amount of smoke, said Sunshine Village spokeswoman Kendra Scurfield.
“We know it’s coming close . . . Parks Canada is very concerned about it spreading to our leasehold where our lifts are,” she said.
“We have an amazing team with Parks Canada and they’ll do everything they can to prevent it from reaching it.”
Fortunately, she said the main building is composed of less flammable metal and asphalt composite, while firefighting conditions have improved.
“Luckily, the wind has died down and it’s cooler on the mountain today,” she said.
The Standish Chair was shut down Monday due to the worsening smoke conditions, she added.
A backcountry fire ban remains in effect in the mountain national parks, along with trail closures in areas closer to the Verdant Creek fire, which was sparked by lightning.
Two smaller fires are also burning in Yoho National Park in the Emerald Lake and Amiskwi areas.
“We expect to have them contained,” said Park. Parks Canada says 50 firefighters and five helicopters are battling the blaze.
Meanwhile, Environment Canada reported an air quality rating of 2 for Calgary at noon Tuesday, at the low risk end of the scale, but forecasted it to worsen to 6 on Wednesday, which is at the high end of the moderate level.
It’s due to smoke drifting into the area from the B.C. wildfires.