Smoke from the Verdant Creek wildfire and firefighting efforts in the region have once again forced the closure of Highway 93.

Originally the highway was closed on Wednesday but was re-opened the next day after ground and air fire crews applied fire suppression to the Verdant Creek fire's north side.

However yesterday (August 4) afternoon at 3:00 pm the road was closed again from the Castle Mountain Junction to Radium Hot Springs because of the fire, smoke from it and activity of firefighters. 

An update on the closure is expected later this weekend.

The Verdant Creek wildfire is now estimated to cover over 11,000 hectares in Kootenay National Park and B.C's Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park.  It's only burning in B.C. for now but is within two kms of Sunshine Village in Alberta.  A spokesperson for Parks Canada says the fire hasn't moved any closer to Sunshine Village for several days.

Drivers wanting to know about conditions on mountain highways should check 511.alberta.ca or DriveBC.ca for updates.  

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