Bayhorse Silver Underground Drilling Operations Suspended Due to Wildfires
Wildfire halts Bayhorse drilling, delaying the permit path and resource expansion at its project.
Bayhorse Silver Inc. (BHS) suspended underground drilling operations at its Bayhorse Mine on July 24, 2026, following the rapid expansion of a wildfire at Fox Creek, located seven miles north of the site. The fire has grown to over 45,000 acres, reaching Huntington and closing Interstate I-84, which has triggered evacuation orders and restricted access to the mine.
Prior to the suspension, the crushing circuit was operational and bulk sampling had begun. A new easterly drill hole was collared, and four 300-350 ft holes to the east of the known inferred resource area had commenced.
Due to current access restrictions, the company cannot determine the impact on facilities. An update will be issued once the evacuation order is lifted. CEO Graeme O'Neill noted that while the mine site has little fuel and is near the Brownlee Reservoir, wildfire behavior near large bodies of water is unpredictable. Inspection may be possible in the coming days.
Bayhorse Silver Inc. (BHS) has suspended operations due to a wildfire, an external force majeure event that has delayed the execution of its 2,000m+ underground drill program announced in May 2026. This drilling initiative was designed to expand the NI 43-101 inferred resource and support the company’s operating permit application.
The company has not announced any new financial impact or capital raise, meaning it must absorb the costs associated with the delay and potential facility inspections. While the suspension introduces short-term timeline risks for the 2026 work program and the anticipated receipt of the operating permit in the first half of 2027, the long-term viability of the project remains unchanged.
Bayhorse Silver Inc. is advancing its flagship Bayhorse Silver Mine in Oregon and the Pegasus Porphyry Copper Project in Idaho. The Bayhorse Silver Mine holds an NI 43-101 inferred resource of 292,300 tons at 21.65 oz/t (673 g/t), totaling 6.3 million ounces of silver. The deposit is dominated by tetrahedrite, which contains silver, copper, antimony, and zinc. To improve recoveries and separate payable metals, the company is testing selective antimony leaching with Allihies Engineering.
Infrastructure at the site includes a Steinert XRT ore-sorter with a 40 t/h capacity and a permitted 50 t/d flotation mill located in Payette, Idaho. Bayhorse Silver is targeting a 200 t/d mining rate, pending receipt of a Full Operating Permit from the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI), which is expected in the first half of 2027. Recent exploration has focused on IP surveys to identify new drill targets, including CR-1, CR-2, CR-3, and MW-2, with the goal of expanding the resource and potentially upgrading it to indicated status.