A Saskatoon-based uranium company says it’s evacuating all non-essential personnel from the Cigar Lake mine in northern Saskatchewan as a precaution due to the proximity of a wildfire in the vicinity of the operation.
Cameco said roughly 230 workers are being transported off-site while around 80 essential personnel will remain on-site to maintain the facility in a safe state.
Production at Cigar Lake has been temporarily suspended, the company said Thursday.
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“Should the wildfire threat grow considerably at site, a plan is in place to ensure their safety,” read a statement.
“Cameco is working closely with provincial wildfire management personnel from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, who are on-site assessing the situation on an ongoing basis. The decision to evacuate the operation was made in conjunction with these officials.”
The company said the situation is complicated by extremely warm and dry weather, resulting from a heat dome that has settled over Western Canada in recent days, along with variable wind and smoke conditions.
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