An uncontrolled wildfire near Artemis Gold’s Blackwater Mine project last week caused minimal damage to the property, a statement issued by the company on Monday said.
On July 10, Artemis Gold evacuated non-essential employees at the mine construction site, located 160 kilometres southwest of Prince George. Roughly 20 employees, including emergency response teams, remained on site and all were safe and accounted for.
“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,” Artemis Gold chairman and CEO Steven Dean said. “Our second priority was securing the asset, and our emergency services teams implemented very effective protective measures across the site.”
The infrastructure at the site remains intact, including the construction camp, process plant, and vehicle and equipment fleet.
“The company is now focused on plans to ramp back up to normal construction activities in the short term, subject to provincial regulation,” the statement issued by the company on Monday said. “Artemis Gold does not anticipate this incident will have a material impact on the Blackwater Mine construction schedule, and the company continues to target first gold pour in (the second quarter of) 2024.”
