The Verdant Creek wildfire has reached 4,100 hectares in size inside Kootenay National Park, while Parks Canada and B.C. Wildfire crews continue work to battle the blaze on two fronts. The B.C.
The Verdant Creek wildfire has reached 4,100 hectares in size inside Kootenay National Park, while Parks Canada and B.C. Wildfire crews continue work to battle the blaze on two fronts.
The B.C. Wildfire Service map has estimated the full size of the fire at 4,000 hectares, according its active wildfire map on Friday afternoon (July 21). The Canadian Wildland Fire Information System, on the other hand, has the fire perimeter estimated at 6,722 hectares.
Parks Canada’s media release on Saturday (July 21), provided an update on the size as 4,100 hectares and that "progress" on the wildfire has been made.
"Parks Canada fire crews are making good progress to prevent the spread of the Verdant wildfire in the key locations of Talc Lake and Simpson Pass," stated the press release. "The fire has shown little growth over the past 48 hours to the Southeast.
"Parks Canada is the lead Agency managing this fire, and is working closely with BC Parks and BC Wildfire Service. The safety of the public and our crews, and protecting park infrastructure and neighbouring lands is Parks Canada's first priority.
"On July 21, conditions allowed Parks Canada fire management personnel to map the perimeter of the fire and determined it is approximately 4100 ha. Prior to that mapping flight, it was difficult to accurately ascertain the size because of smoke impeding visibility.
"Backcountry area closures remain in place in the Verdant Creek area of Kootenay
"National Park and in the Egypt Lake and Brewster Creek areas of Banff National Park. Sunshine Village is closed to the public to facilitate fire management operations. A fire ban remains in effect for all mountain national parks due to the elevated fire danger and to prevent the possibility of human-caused fires.
"Parks Canada will continue to update the public as the situation evolves."
Parks Canada incident commander Rick Kubain said Thursday (July 20) it is still classified as a wildfire that is out of control and it remains on the B.C. side of the Continental Divide.
“The fire management strategies we have put in play are holding the fire in priority areas and it is not moving toward values at risk or local communities,” he said.
Kubian said the fire continues to grow in size overall, but in remote wilderness areas where there is no concern about values at risk at this time.
Increased helicopter activity in the Bow Valley has been seen, with a closure in place at near the industrial compound in Banff and near the CP Rail tracks for helicopters.
Meanwhile, Alberta Parks has issued a notice in Kananaskis Country, on the other side of the B.C.-Alberta border from the wildfire, for the Spray Lakes Reservoir from the Driftwood Day Use Area.
Possible water bomber operations on Barrier Lake, Ghost Lake and Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes may occur for aerial wildfire control operations. All watercrafts are requested to move to within 30 metres of the shore when water bombers or helicopters conduct low and slow reconnaissance flights over any water body in advance of a tanker group refilling operation.
On Friday (July 21), a closure was put in place at Sunshine Village, with guests of the lodge relocated to hotels in Banff, to stage wildfire operations.
Sunshine Village chief operating officer Dave Riley said the closure is strategic and provides Parks Canada forest fire fighting crews a staging area near the fire’s perimeter.
The fire remains, according to Parks Canada, 24 kilometres from Banff and 2.5 km from Sunshine. Riley said the alpine meadows that sit between the resort and the fire offers a natural firebreak from the flames.
“I don’t want to say there is no risk, but there is very little risk the fire would make it through Sunshine Meadows and over Standish,” he said. “I have been really pleased with Parks Canada and BC Parks and how they have approached this wildfire and I want to give them full credit for really excellent work and they have been really good at communicating with us.
“It is a really well developed plan I think, and it is intended to control the fire in a very important location, so it is in our best interest to help them make that happen.”
The location that Parks is focusing attention and fire suppression efforts within is the North Simpson Valley and Redearth Pass.
Kubian said safety is the first priority for the federal agency, and the fire has not advanced any further to ward Simpson Pass.
“The fire has not moved in that area in over two days,” Kubian said. “It is in some upper subalpine vegetation and is holding there with us applying wildfire management activities, primarily bucketing with helicopters to maintain it where it is.”
Parks Canada has 75 people on the ground working to manage the fire, along with six helicopters. Weather conditions and smoke hampered efforts on the ground when the fire started on Saturday (July 15). Kubian said with better weather at the end of the week, crews are able to get in and put water on the flames.
“Now what we are able to do with this slight change in weather, is to move toward direct action on the fire,” he said.
B.C. Wildfire service is also managing the fire in Assiniboine Provincial Park, with crews on the ground there.
There are closures in place, but there are also many areas of Banff and Kootenay national parks that are open. Go to www.parkscanada.g.ca/banff for more information on the Verdant Creek wildfire.
