KOOTENAY – The BC Wildfire Service responded to a lightning-sparked wildfire in Kootenay National Park on Friday (July 27), which has grown in size over the weekend.
As of Saturday (July 28), the BC Wildfire Service reported on Facebook that the blaze had reached an estimated 123 hectares in size. The wildfire is visible from local communities and those travelling east on Highway 93.
The area is located just outside Kootenay National Park, and is approximately 40 kilometres north of Radium Hot Springs. Parks Canada issued a closure on Saturday for the area near Luxor Pass Trail, West Kootenay Trail and Dolly Varden Trail as a precautionary measure.
As of Saturday, officials said the fire was not a threat to any nearby structures, or communities. The Southeast Fire Centre was reporting increased wildfire activity throughout the weekend in B.C. as a result of recent and ongoing lightning activity in the region.
The fire danger rating in the Southeast Fire Centre is currently high with sections of extreme and small pockets of moderate. A campfire prohibition in the entire area is currently in effect.
The Canadian Wildland Fire Information System interactive map estimated the size of the fire on Sunday morning (July 29) at 722 hectares.
For information on the closure in Kootenay National Park, go to https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/scond/index_e.asp.
For the Southeast Fire Centre information bulletin go to http://bcfireinfo.for.gov.bc.ca/hprScripts/WildfireNews/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=2996.
