Hecla Keno Mine is under fire evacuation alert (YT)Any more recent news from Hecla? There are a handfull of Keno residents, Elsa caretakers, some almost 200 Hecla personnel in the area.
"With Eagle Mine evacuated because of a growing wildfire, other Yukon mines idn the Mayo region are taking precautions — including Hecla Mine, which has been under evacuation alert since Sunday.
Although 49 wildfires are burning in the area, two are of major concern.
There's the East McQuesten fire, which forced Eagle Mine workers to evacuate for a second time last week when the fire reached the access road to the site.
Then there's the Talbot Creek fire, burning just south of Mayo, which led that community to evacuate on Sunday. That fire's also threatening Hecla Gold and nearby Keno City. Both are under evacuation alert, though neither is in immediate danger, according to Yukon Protective Services.
"We're maintaining normal operations," Mike Satre, Hecla's director of governmental affairs, said Wednesday. "But we're also taking all necessary precautions to protect our facilities and our people from the fire danger."
Hecla is working with the territory to keep the access road to the mine open for personnel and supplies, Satre said. Approximately 180 people work at the site, he said
Lewis Rifkind, a mining analyst with the Yukon Conservation Society, says a recent government report raises questions about what could happen to the surrounding environment should the fire reach the mine.
"Their last mining inspection wasn't good," Rifkind said in an interview. "So that does raise a bit of concern.""
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/mayo-mines-wildfire-watch-1.6932202