The Numa Creek wildfire in Kootenay National Park is still burning and has not changed much in the last two weeks.
The wildfire is still about 80 hectares in size, but is contained in the Numa Creek Drainage and is producing hardly any visible smoke.
Some distant smoke and haze is currently visible in parts of the Lake Louise-Kootenay-Yoho field unit, but this is being blown north by winds from active fires in southern Idaho and Utah, according to a Parks Canada press release.
Through-hiking the renowned 55 kilometre-long Rockwall trail is still impossible at this time, with the same trail closures in Kootenay National Park reported in previous edition of The Echo remaining in effect. The entire Numa Creek drainage is off-limits, including Numa Creek campground, the adjoining sections of the Rockwall trail and the Numa Creek trail, which connects Highway 93 to the Rockwall.
Hikers can still get up to the Rockwall by doing out-and-back hikes on the Helmet Creek trail (which goes to the Rockwall’s far north end) or Floe Lake trail (which goes to the Rockwall’s far south end).
The fire danger level in Parks Canada’s Lake Louise-Yoho-Kootenay field unit was downgraded to moderate more than a week ago.
There is currently only one active wildfire in the Upper Columbia Valley that B.C.’s Southeast Fire Centre considers large — a seven-hectare fire 30 kilometres northeast of Invermere, near the Albert River, which is not currently threatening any communities or infrastructure.
There is currently no campfire prohibition in the Southeast Fire Centre but campfires must not be larger than 0.5 metres high by 0.5 metres wide (about 19 inches by 19 inches) and anyone who lights a campfire must have a shovel or at least eight litres of water nearby to completely extinguish the fire. Most importantly, the fire must never be left unattended. As of August 16th, the Fire Danger Rating was “moderate” to “high” throughout the Southeast Fire Centre, with pockets of “extreme” near Invermere and the Mica Dam.
