Cameco provided an update yesterday regarding the wildfire situation near the Cigar Lake uranium mine in northern Saskatchewan.

In a media release Cameco says all of the roughly 80 essential workers who remain at Cigar Lake are safe. The wildfire has moved past the main camp area without serious impact to the site itself. Inspections of the area continue, but Cameco believes no structural damage has occurred to any buildings and all assets appear intact.

With the wildfire situation remaining active, Cameco will continue to monitor the situation closely and work alongside provincial wildfire management officials from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) who remain on-site.  Crews reportedly extinguished a few hot spots overnight and some roads in the area remain closed.

There is currently no timeline for the return to site of the roughly 230 workers who were evacuated from Cigar Lake or for the resumption of production. However, planning for the remobilization process and the associated logistics is underway. Cameco says a restart decision will be contingent on a variety of factors, including the status of wildfire activity in the area, the impact of ongoing smoke conditions, and safe road and air access to site.

There are now seven wildfires not contained, one has been contained, nine are undergoing assessment, one fire involves protecting property so there are 18 in total burning in the province.  There have been 206 fires to date in Saskatchewan and the five year average is 197.