Forest Fire Shuts Down Stornoway’s Renard Mine

Stornoway Diamond Corporation (TSX:SWY) has announced that mine operations at the Renard diamond mine have been temporarily suspended due to a local forest fire. The Renard diamond mine is is located approximately 250 km north of the Cree community of Mistissini and 350 km north of Chibougamau in the James Bay region of north-central Québec. The mine is considered Quebec’s first producing diamond mine and Canada’s sixth.

Stornoway began construction on the project in July 2014, with commercial production commencing in January 2017.

As quoted from the press release:

As at 06.30h EST on Monday [July 2], the fire was located 12.6 kilometers south of the Renard mine, but just 3.6 kilometers south of the Clarence and Abel Swallow Airport and within 0.1 kilometer of the mine’s access road. It covers an area of 18 kilometers by 6 kilometers and is being fanned by northerly winds.

While mine facilities are in no immediate danger, the location of the fire means that access to the site is affected. For precautionary reasons, non-essential staff are being evacuated and road deliveries suspended until normal safe working conditions can be re-established.

Rain and a change in wind direction is forecast in the next 24 to 48 hours. Stornoway will provide further updates as they become available.

Click here to read the full press release