WILDFIRE EFFECTS
As James Higgins took his dogs for a walk Monday, the city skyline was obscured by smoke from wildfires in B.C. and Alberta. Calgary is under an air quality advisory, but conditions are expected to improve today.
A wildfire in the Verdant Creek area of Kootenay National Park has spread to the north part of Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, leading to an expanded closure area.
Parks Canada officials said the fire is moving to the north and east, and is not currently threatening any local communities.
While smoky conditions are making it difficult to determine the exact size of the blaze, parks staff said it could be more than 2,000 hectares.
“The fire activity is fairly low at this moment, although we anticipate it may spread later today as temperatures and wind increase,” Banff National Park field unit superintendent Dave McDonough said Monday.
He added there are about 50 people and five helicopters currently working on the fire.
A backcountry fire ban was implemented Monday in Banff National Park.
The wildfire has also led to the closure of hiking trails around Banff Sunshine Village.
“At present, we’ve closed all of our hiking trails as a precautionary measure due to the smoke in the area and the fire in Kootenay National Park,” said Kendra Scurfield, media and communications manager for Banff Sunshine Village.
The closure includes Rock Isle Lake, Grizzly-Laryx Loop and the different trails of Sunshine Meadows.
The gondola is currently still running, and other facilities including the Sunshine Mountain Lodge remain open.
“We are monitoring the fire closely and are in correspondence with both B.C. Parks and Parks Canada, and we’ll be posting and sharing updates to our social media,” said Scurfield.
Parks Canada is working with the B.C. Wildfire Service to manage the part of the fire that is occurring in Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park. Parks Canada crews are also managing small wildfires in the Emerald Lake and Amiskwi areas of Yoho National Park.
The Verdant Creek fire was caused by a lightning strike at about 1,800 metres in elevation, officials say.