Wildfire continues burning in Alberta backcountry

The Verdant Creek area wildfire is getting bigger and more backcountry closures are now being imposed.

A fire ban is also in effect across Banff National Park.

The Banff Sunshine Village and Meadows areas, as well as Citadel Pass, are also off limits.

National park fire crews are working with the British Columbia Wildfire Service to battle the flames.

The gondola and upper village facilities remain open for the time being at Sunshine, along with Shadow Lake Lodge. But it’s an eerie view from this normally picturesque point of the park.

“It’s quite different because what’s normally so mountainous is really just smoky haze, you can’t see the mountains,” said spokesperson Kendra Scurfield. “It’s quite surprisingly because you can’t even see Angel [Glacier], Great Divide [Mountain], the mountains around Rock Isle Lake.”

Banff Sunshine Village says the closures are to ensure the safety of visitors and staff.

For full details on the closures, visit: http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/scond/Cond_E.asp?oID=28169&oPark=100092

You can also view radar of the fire movement from FireSmoke Canada.

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