Victoria Gold Corp. Aug. 21 announced that after nearly two weeks of halted operations due to wildfires, operations at the Eagle Gold Mine in central Yukon have returned to normalcy, and production has resumed once more.

At the end of July, Victoria initiated a partial evacuation of its Eagle Gold Mine operations due to the proximity of the East McQuesten wildfire.

With the fires getting as close as 4,000 meters to the mine, the company commenced a second evacuation of Eagle on Aug. 4. Thankfully, favorable conditions allowed for the return of employees to the site by Aug. 10.

"We are pleased that operations have returned to normal. Rainy conditions over the past week have significantly reduced the wildfire risk near Eagle," said Victoria Gold President and CEO John McConnell. "We would like to thank our employees and contractors for their excellent response to this situation, which allowed a smooth restart of production."

With crews and staff returning, full production rates at the operation resumed shortly after on Aug. 11, while Yukon Wildland Fire Management demobilized from Eagle on Aug. 13.

"The Yukon Wildland Fire Management team provided a comprehensive, professional response to the East McQuesten wildfire for which we are grateful," added McConnell. "We are also pleased to see the evacuation order lifted for the residents of Mayo."

While some Victoria employees were able to take refuge at Banyan Gold Corp.'s nearby AurMac property, other places in Canada have been stricken with widespread fires, like the Northwest Territories capital, Yellowknife, evacuating due to wildfires, and have not been so fortunate.

"Our thoughts are with the residents of Yellowknife, Kelowna and the many other communities across Canada and internationally who continue to be affected by wildfires," said McConnell.

Assessment of possible damages to either facilities or surrounding woodland was not reported.