Mining personnel leaving Yellowknife as wildfires prompt evacuation order

Explorers and miners in the Northwest Territories are shifting focus to the safety of their staff and communities after the government ordered the evacuation of Yellowknife on Wednesday evening as wildfires edge closer to the city. At just over 20,000 people, Yellowknife is the second largest city in the Far North and serves as a regional hub, including for resource development in Canada’s north.

Territorial Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Shane Thompson issued the order in a news conference Wednesday night, saying all residents of Yellowknife, Ndilo, Dettah and along the Ingraham Trail must leave by noon Friday.

Government wildfire monitor NWT Fire said that fires were 16 km northwest of Yellowknife municipal boundaries and that the fire could reach the city by the weekend if there is no rain. Fire danger forecast is rated as “extreme” for Yellowknife and the community of Behchoko, west of Yellowknife until Saturday.

Fires burn north of the Mon gold camp, about 45 km north of Yellowknife. Credit: Sixty North Gold Mining

Lithium explorer Li-FT Power (CSE: LIFT), which operates its Hidden Lake camp, just 25 km east of the city along the Ingraham Trail said on Thursday it planned to pull all its personnel from Yellowknife by the end of the day on charter flights.

“We have planned a shutdown for at least seven days and will monitor the situation closely,” CEO Francis MacDonald said in an email to The Northern Miner. “The evacuation order for the city doesn’t help matters though.”

MacDonald said on Tuesday that the Hidden Lake camp would be temporarily demobilized due to the wildfires.

He added that Li-FT had moved most of its assets out of the camp, with its drills stored at a gravel pit off the Ingraham Trail and drill core moved back to Yellowknife.

At about 300 km northeast of Yellowknife, Rio Tinto‘s (NYSE: RIO; LSE: RIO; ASX: RIO) Diavik diamond mine is at a safe distance from the fire, but the company is supporting wildfire response efforts with a $250,000 donation to the United Way Northwest Territories (UWNWT), it said in a Thursday release. 

The donation, from its Rio Tinto Disaster Relief Fund will go towards immediate crisis requirements such as food, fuel and other needs for territorial communities and evacuees. 

“At Diavik, we understand the importance of community resilience and timely support,” said Diavik diamond mine president and CEO Angela Bigg. “Our hearts go out to everyone impacted, which includes many of our own employees.”

In addition to the donation, Rio Tinto is focusing on its personnel, many of whom live in communities affected by the wildfires, said a company spokesperson. 

“Our Yellowknife office will remain closed for the foreseeable future. Employees are encouraged to follow the directions from authorities and take steps to keep themselves and their families safe,” they said. 

“For employees who are currently on site, we are working on securing flights that will assist them to reunite with their loved ones, subject to plane availability. At this time, operations are able to continue safely at a reduced capacity at Diavik, and we continue to evaluate our personnel needs,” they added.

De Beers’ infrastructure is also safe thus far from wildfires, and it’s making accommodations for workers at the Gahcho Kué diamond mine, located about 280 km northwest of the city, said Terry Kruger, senior communications officer.

“The Gahcho Kué team is working with the mine’s Yellowknife resident employees to support those who wish to travel to Yellowknife to assist their families in evacuating the city,” he said.

De Beers operates the mine in a 51%-49% joint venture with Mountain Province Diamond (TSX: MPVD; US-OTC: MPVD).

While North Arrow Minerals (TSXV: NAR) CEO Ken Armstrong called the situation in Yellowknife “very serious,” the company has no personnel currently in Yellowknife because it is in between exploration programs.

Drilling at its LDG lithium project, more than 300 km north of Yellowknife has been delayed due to logistical complications from the fires. The company also holds the DeStaffany lithium project, 115 km east of the city.

“Doesn’t really change anything for us as we were in a holding pattern and monitoring events before last night’s announcement,” he said.

Sixty North Gold Mining (CSE: SXTY), operator of the fly-in Mon gold project about 45 km north of Yellowknife, said in a Thursday release that it has contacted its insurance company about a potential claim for its site.

“With Yellowknife and the NWT having states of emergencies declared, and other priorities for aircraft, it is not possible to visit the Mon project at this time to assess potential damage,” the company said.

Sixty North president David Webb said on Wednesday that satellite imagery shows the fires went through the camp, where there are almost $4 million worth of mining assets.

Staff and a watchman at the site were evacuated last week.

Vital Metals (ASX: VML; US-OTC: VTMXF) operator of the Nechalacho rare earths project southeast of Yellowknife, evacuated the site on Monday, said Steve Woolfenden, VP Sustainability with Vital Metals.

“We are monitoring the situation and we will not return staff or contractors to the site until we have been advised it is safe,” he said.

The evacuation order for Yellowknife comes just a few days after six communities in the South Slave region were ordered to evacuate, with several posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) showing highways lined with vehicles heading south towards Alberta. The wildfires in the territory add to an already chaotic season across the country, with mining operations impacted as early as June in Ontario and Quebec and more disrupted in the West as the summer continued.