B.C. mine project survives wildfire
Artemis says it is now working on a plan to resume normal construction.
Crews fight wildfires in B.C. – B.C. Wildfire Service
Artemis Gold is working on plans to resume normal construction operations at its Blackwater Mine after evacuating due to an uncontrolled B.C. wildfire.
As the fire approached, Artemis Gold took proactive measures to temporarily reduce the number of non-essential staff and contractors early last week and all company staff and contractors are safe and accounted for.
The company said that the Blackwater Mine site infrastructure remains intact, including the construction camp, process plant area, construction fleet and contractors’ fleets. Damage to property has been minimal.
“Safety is our top priority, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the proactive, organized approach our team took to reduce non-essential workers at our mine site days before the wildfire reached our site. Our second priority was securing the asset, and our emergency services teams implemented very effective protective measures across the site,” said Steven Dean, Artemis Gold Inc. chairman and CEO.
The company said it is now focused on plans to ramp back up to normal construction activities in the short term, subject to provincial regulation. Artemis Gold does not anticipate the incident will have a material impact on the Blackwater Mine construction schedule, and the Company continues to target first gold pour in H2 2024.
The project is located in centralB.C., approximately 160 km southwest of Prince George and 446 km northeast of Vancouver. It is accessible by major highway and access/service roads.
According to the B.C. Wildfire Service there have been 1192 fires so far this year. These fires have burned 13,900 square kilometres of land, breaking the record of just over 13,500 square kilometres set in 2018.
