The Parks Canada incident management team is actively managing a wildfire in Kootenay National Park and Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park. The fire remains on the west side of the Continental Divide, approximately 24 km from the Town of Banff and approximately 2.5 km from Sunshine Village.

The fire has spread further into Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park along the Continental Divide, and Parks Canada is working closely with BC Parks and B.C. Wildfire Service to manage the fire. The current perimeter of the fire is approximately 2,500-3,000 hectares, which includes non-forested areas.

The fire has not advanced further towards Simpson Pass, and Parks Canada fire management operations are focused on preventing the spread of the fire in this area.

The Verdant Creek wildfire is currently not a threat to local communities. Except for the closure area, all facilities in Banff and Kootenay National Parks remain open, and there are many backcountry destinations for visitors to explore. All highways in Banff and Kootenay national parks remain open.

Parks Canada has been working closely with Sunshine Village to implement an operational closure of the ski area to visitors as of Friday, July 21 to allow Parks Canada crews to take further action to manage the Verdant Creek wildfire.

Sunshine Village will be used as a staging area for activities in the North Simpson valley and Redearth Pass. This phase of work will see more helicopters and crews in the Sunshine Village area and may create additional smoke, therefore it is best that visitors not be in the area for the duration of the work.

The safety of the public, our crews, park infrastructure and neighbouring lands is always Parks Canada’s first priority.

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