Fire Lake Mining

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Since 2006, les Entreprises de Construction de Québec (LECQ), a division of Bird, has been continuously operating the Fire Lake iron ore mine for ArcelorMittal. The scope of work includes the drilling, blasting, hauling and loading of the ore into railcars to be transported to Mont-Wright, 55-kilometres north. There is only one track between the two sites and it is LECQ’s job to ensure that there is a continuous flow of ore from one to the other. For over the past eight years, the supply of ore to Mont-Wright has not been disrupted. Due to the remote location of Fire Lake, LECQ operates and maintains the worker’s camp. The Fire Lake site is an important contributor to ArcelorMittal’s total iron ore production in the area and represents 10 to 15% of their total iron production in the region annually. Production targets for 2014 are the highest since the mine went into operation — 6,200,000 tonnes of iron ore, 840,000 tonnes of waste rock and 600,000 tonnes of overburden material are forecast for 2014. Historically, the mine has used nine-cubic-yard excavators with 70-ton trucks. However, to achieve the increased 2014 quantities, LECQ has mobilized a 15-cubic-yard excavator and 100-ton trucks.

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