Fire bans in place for Banff, Kootenay, Yoho National Parks for August long weekend

UPDATED STORY AUG. 3, 2018: As of noon on Aug. 3, Highway 93 Southremains closed between Castle Junction and the B.C. border due to wildfire activity and is expected to remain closed until at least Aug. 5.

Campers headed to Kootenay and Banff National Parks for the August long weekend might need to reconsider their plans, with fire bans as well as highway and trail closures in place due to a number of lightning-ignited wildfires.

Highway 93 South remainsclosed between the Paint Pots trailhead and McLeod Meadows campground, but the stretch from Radium Hot Springs to McLeodMeadows and from Paint Pots to the Trans-Canada Highway junction has reopened.

• B.C. wildfires shut Kootenay park highway from Castle Junction to Radium

Drivers werebeing advised to detour through Golden, B.C., but a multi-vehicle collision shut down Highway 1 between Field and Golden around 2:45 p.m. Thursday.

Highway 1 reopened shortly before 6 p.m.

Alberta Transportation's website adviseddrivers to expect delays of up to six hours.

Parks Canada said fire bans arein place Thursday for Kootenay, Yohoand Banff National Parks. The maximum penalty for violating a fire ban in a national park is $25,000.

In addition to the highway closure, the following trails and campgrounds have been closed:

• Hector Gorge trail.
• North Rockwall from Tumbling Pass to Paint Pots trailhead, including Helmet Creek trail, Goodsir Pass trail and Wolverine Pass trail.
• Tumbling, Helmet and Helmet Ochre campgorunds.
• South Rockwalltrail from Tumbling Pass to Floe Lake trailhead.
• Numa Creek and Floe Lake campgrounds.
• Luxor Pass trail, West Kootenaytrail, Dolly Varden trail and Crooks Meadow Group camping.
• Honeymoon Pass trail, Hawk Creek trail and Simpson River trail.
• Wardle Creek, Vermilion Crossing and Simpson's Monument day-use areas.
• And Kootenay Park Lodge, which has been evacuated.

Chloe Kibeis a server at Storm Mountain Lodge,at the north end of the highway, about five kilometres south of the Trans-Canada. She said the wildfires are stressful for employees because they're so unpredictable, but staff is used to contending with wildfire season each year.

"There's definitely been a little less through traffic than there'd probably normally be," Kibe said. "But otherwise it hasn't really affected us."

The wildfires that crews are battling in the region include:

• Two wildfires in Vermillion Valley, which were started by lightning strikes, combined together and grew to an estimated 1,000 hectares on Wednesday.
• One spot fire in KootenayValley, whichhas been extinguished, and another contained.
• Afire on the slopes of Lipalian Mountain in Bow Valley, east of Lake Louise, which is being held.
• The Whitetail Creek fire, 40 kilometres north of Radium Hot Springs, which is classified as out of control at 290 hectares.

A map of the closed area is below.

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With files from Anis Heydari