TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – TSX-listed Gold miner Claude Resources has temporarily suspended underground mining at the Seabee gold operation, in northern Saskatchewan, and is taking steps to remove nonessential personnel from the site owing to an approaching forest fire.
Saskatoon-based Claude noted on Monday that the temporary suspension was owing to the risk of high winds potentially bringing heavy smoke and ash from a forest fire located about 8 km south of the Seabee gold mine.
Owing to active wildfires in northern Saskatchewan for several weeks, the Ministry of Environment continued to recommend against unessential travel, with roads closed in several areas including La Ronge, La Loche and Pinehouse.
The company reported that production from the mill had not been affected and the facility would continue to operate. Claude currently had a stockpile of about 10 000 t of ore available on the surface, representing 12 days of production. At this time, the company expected to meet its production guidance for the year.
"The company will continue to monitor the situation and once the risk has been mitigated, we will resume operations,” president and CEO Brian Skanderbeg advised.
Since 1991, Claude had produced more than one-million ounces of gold from its Seabee mine. The company also owned 100% of the Amisk gold project, also located in north-eastern Saskatchewan.