It is hot and dry in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta and B.C. with extreme fire danger levels heading into the Labour Day long weekend and two new wildfires started yesterday are being fought by Parks Canada crews.
It is hot and dry in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta and B.C. with extreme fire danger levels heading into the Labour Day long weekend and two new wildfires started yesterday are being fought by Parks Canada crews.
While the entire Rocky Mountain natural resource district in B.C. was closed Friday (Sept. 1) due to the extreme fire danger, on Thursday (Aug. 31) a wildfire near Crooks Meadow and one near Bow Lake were reported and responded to by Parks fire attack crews.
Dwight Bourdin, resource conservation manager with Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay national parks, said Parks Canada has two attack teams ready to respond at all times to reports of a wildfire.
“With persistent dry and hot conditions, Parks Canada remains capable to respond to any new (wildfire) starts in Banff, Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay national parks,” he said. “We are reminding the public a fire ban remains in effect in the western national parks and mountains due to the elevated wildfire danger being at extreme.”
Bourdin said there is a high probability the two new wildfires – one in Kootenay and one in Banff – would see “full suppression” in the coming days.
“One was at approximately 7:30 a.m. when smoke was reported four kilometres south of Crooks Meadow campground in Kootenay National Park, approximately 20 kilometres south of the Verdant Creek wildfire,” he said.
The initial attack crew with a helicopter used buckets to put water on it in less than an hour and “made good progress” in containing the lightning-caused wildfire, which is estimated to currently be 0.5 hectares in size.
“Another fire occurred west of Bow Lake along the Icefields Parkway, it is estimated at 0.5 hectares and is not considered to be a threat to the public or facilities,” Bourdin said.
A helicopter and crew are working on containing that fire, which was caused by an illegal campfire according to Bourdin. He said wardens and the RCMP are investigating.
“The recent fire at Bow Lake was caused by an illegal campfire and this could have had serious consequences if it was not actioned in a timely manner,” Bourdin said.
Fines for starting a wildfire with an illegal campfire could reach as high as $25,000 under the regulations of the National Parks Act. This week a man was fined $1,000 in Canmore Provincial Court for having a campfire during the fire ban this summer at Two Jack campground near Banff. The public is encouraged to report fire, smoke, or suspicious activity to Banff dispatch at 403-762-1470.
The Verdant Creek fire has also seen increased activity along its remote southeastern edges in the Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park as a result of the hot weather. Bourdin said smoke in the valley is cumulative from fires burning in B.C. and the western U.S. as well as Verdant.
He added there is no update on the size of Verdant (still estimated at 15,555 hectares), and the B.C. parks and wildfire services are working along with Parks Canada to manage the overall wildfire.
“Significant changes in the weather along with subsequent rainfall is needed for the Verdant Creek wildfire to be fully extinguished,” Bourdin said.
A new closure is in place to assist crews with the Bow Lake wildfire. The Bow Glacier Falls trail and Bow Hut access route, including a nearby portion of Bow Lake and lakeshore were closed. According to Parks, it is expected to be lifted Sunday (Sept. 3).
All current closures and air quality information for the national parks are available at www.parkscanada.gc.ca/verdant-fire.
Highway 93 could be affected by the Verdant and Crooks fires, smoke and fire suppression activity in the area. The most up to date information on road closures is available at www.drivebc.ca and www.alberta511.ca.
Closures in Banff National Park remain in place for Fatigue Creek Trail, Fatigue Pass, CitadelPass Trail and backcountry campground Su8; Ball Pass Trail from west of Re21 to the Park Boundary and Re21; Redearth Pass Trail east of Egypt Lake Warden Cabin, including trail to Talc Lake. In Kootenay for the area northwest of Honeymoon Pass Trail including Hawk Creek Trail; Verdant Creek and Simpson River areas; and the south western portion of the Vermilion Valley.
