Kootenay fire causes delays

August 21, 2001
Source: CBC Calgary
Original story - link verified on August 21, 2001

Heavy smoke from a forest fire in Kootenay National Park is causing poor visibility. Motorists are being escorted today through parts of Kootenay and Banff National Parks. The fire started by a lightning strike last month. Last Friday, weather conditions caused it to grow suddenly from 6 hundred to 3 thousand hectares. Highway 93 south was closed on the weekend. It's now reopened. However officials are warning drivers to slowdown. Rob Walker is the Fire and Vegetation Specialist with Parks Canada. "There's a lot of smoke in the north end of Kootenay National Park, and vehicles are actually being escorted by pilot vehicles, so there is a delay but the road remains open." Walker says trails in the northend of Kootenay National Park and areas adjacent to Egypt Lake and Shadow Lake in Banff are still closed.

Related stories: fire