VANCOUVER, BC, June 4, 2025 /CNW/ - FIREWEED METALS CORP. ("Fireweed" or the Company") (TSXV: FWZ) (OTCQX: FWEDF) is pleased to announce the launch of its 2025 Field Program, with planned project advancement and exploration activities across its Mactung, Macpass, Gayna, and North Canol Infrastructure Improvement (NCIIP) projects.
The 2025 Program includes up to 26,000 m of combined diamond drilling across the three critical metals projects, including up to 12,000 m at Macpass, up to 11,000 m at Mactung, and approximately 3,000 m at Gayna. At Macpass, additional regional work will also be conducted to refine target areas and build upon historical exploration efforts across the broader district. Fieldwork is now underway at Macpass, with work at Mactung and Gayna expected to follow.
Ian Gibbs, President and Chief Executive Officer stated "we are very excited to have commenced field operations across multiple critical metals projects. The Mactung field program and engineering studies will inform an updated Feasibility Study, scheduled to commence this year, on our 100% owned strategic tungsten project. A potentially high-impact inaugural exploration drilling campaign will be undertaken at Gayna, guided by an updated exploration model for mineralization. Exploration efforts will continue across the Macpass district aimed at expanding discovered deposits, drilling priority regional prospects, including our first intrusion related gold prospects, and continuing regional exploration efforts. The team has kicked off our important NCIIP work and are actively expanding our collaboration with the federal and territorial governments, as well as local Indigenous groups. Collectively this marks Fireweed's most ambitious field season to date and a major step forward in advancing our district-scale projects."
2025 Mactung Program
As part of the US Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III-supported program announced in December 2024, Fireweed is progressing a major 11,000 m drill program at Mactung, as well as ongoing environmental baseline field work. These activities will support an updated Feasibility Study, which is expected to commence this year and establish the foundation for future licensing and permitting efforts. Activities will include the following:
- Resource Update – Targeting the conversion of portions of the unclassified and Inferred Underground Mineral Resource1 to the Indicated category.
- Geometallurgical Sampling – Provide large diameter (HQ) core for a geometallurgical sampling program that will characterize the mineralogy, grain size, comminution and metallurgical characteristics of defined geometallurgical domains throughout the mineral resource.
- Hydrogeological Studies – Installing instrumentation to enhance the hydrogeological model for both the deposit and planned infrastructure areas.
- Geomechanical Logging – Providing critical data to optimize underground excavation design.
- Geotechnical Site Investigation – Providing geotechnical and permafrost information in areas of planned infrastructure and mine areas.
- Expanded Gold Assay Coverage – Increase the coverage of gold assays across the deposit, focusing on areas where historical drilling did not test samples for gold and trace values were assumed in the 2023 Mineral Resource.
Additionally, Fireweed plans to scan available historical drill core using advanced core scanning technology. This will generate super-high-resolution imagery, XRF, short-wave ultra-violet, and hyperspectral data, which will be integrated into the geological model to refine the Mineral Resource Estimate and support the development of a comprehensive geometallurgical model.
2025 Macpass Field Program
At Macpass, Fireweed has initiated a large-scale exploration drilling program targeting both high-priority regional prospects and step-outs around known zinc-lead-silver-gallium-germanium deposits. The Company also plans to drill-test intrusion-related gold targets identified through previous fieldwork. The program is guided by a comprehensive foundation of geological, geochemical, and geophysical data collected through and including the 2024 season, supporting drill testing of newly developed targets across the district.
2025 Macpass Drill Program
- Tom South – Step out drilling at Tom South to follow up on high-grade intercepts from 2023 and 2024, both up and down dip and along strike of the defined resource. Notable intercepts from 2024 include 15.12 m (10 m true width2) of 10.39% zinc, 18.10% lead, and 296.9 g/t silver in hole TS24-002 and 18.15 m (11 m true width2) of 9.02% zinc, 7.46% lead, and 148.3 g/t silver in hole TS24-001.
- Boundary Zone – Drill testing of density anomalies generated through the combined Muon and Gravity surveys. This drilling will test targets along strike of the high-grade massive sulphide lens of Boundary Zone Prime Zone, as well as density anomalies adjacent to the Boundary Zone trend. For more information please visit the 2025 news release on muon targets: https://fireweedmetals.com/fireweed-metals-identifies-targets-using-muon-tomography/
- Regional Exploration – Several high-potential targets for sediment hosted zinc-lead-silver have been identified and are ready for drill testing in 2025.
- Intrusion Related Gold – Following up on targets identified through the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Fireweed intends to drill test one or more of these coincident geophysical and geochemical anomalies that are highly prospective for intrusion related gold systems.
- Focused Muon Survey – Following the successful imaging of Boundary Zone during the 2024 Muon Survey, Fireweed intends to leverage this technology in a greenfields exploration program targeting the David, Goliath, Sling and Harvest areas. Drill holes will be dual-purpose: first, to test geophysical and geochemical targets through core logging and analysis; and second, to host muon detectors post-drilling to generate a comprehensive density image of the subsurface.
2025 Macpass Regional Program
Fireweed intends to continue regional exploration efforts on our vast underexplored (~948 km2) land package, including high-definition ground gravity surveying over previously identified targets to enhance resolution, regional gravity surveying to identify new anomalies, soil sampling to provide geochemistry around both zinc-lead-silver as well as intrusion related gold targets, and prospecting to identify near target mineralization.
Gayna Field Program
Fireweed is planning to drill approximately 3,000 m to test several targets along reef margins identified by ground gravity, soil geochemistry, and airborne geophysics efforts. High-grade rock and soil samples have confirmed the presence at surface of massive sulfide mineralization, containing elevated levels of critical metals zinc, germanium and gallium. The program is designed to test a new mineralization model related to carbonate reef margin deposition. Camp and materials were mobilized to site in February.
North Canol Infrastructure Improvement Project (NCIIP)
Fireweed has initiated key project activities associated with NCIIP, for which it was conditionally awarded C$12.9 million in funding under the Canadian Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund in December 2024 (subject to due diligence). The conditional award enables Fireweed to lead planning efforts for infrastructure improvements that would serve the critical minerals district at Macmillan Pass.
Key engineering and environmental vendors supporting the NCIIP have been retained and the company is facilitating their mobilization for important field-based efforts in 2025, including roadway surveying and biophysical data collection. The company continues to actively engage with federal and territorial regulatory bodies as well as Indigenous groups to ensure alignment of objectives and progress the project in advance of an anticipated definitive Contribution Agreement with Canada.
Qualified Person Statement
Technical information in this news release has been approved by Fireweed Metals Senior Geologist, Ian Carr, P.Geo. (BC), a 'Qualified Person' as defined under National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Carr is not independent of Fireweed for purposes of NI 43-101.
About Fireweed Metals Corp. Fireweed is an exploration company focused on unlocking value in a new critical metals district located in Northern Canada. Fireweed is 100% owner of the Macpass District, a large and highly prospective 985 km2 land package. The Macpass District includes the Macpass zinc-lead-silver project and the Mactung tungsten project. A Lundin Group company, Fireweed is strongly positioned to create meaningful value.
Fireweed trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol "FWZ", on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol "FWEDF", and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "M0G".
Additional information about Fireweed and its projects can be found on the Company's website at FireweedMetals.com and at www.sedarplus.com
ON BEHALF OF FIREWEED METALS CORP.
"Ian Gibbs"
President, CEO, and Director
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Cautionary Statements
Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains "forward-looking" statements and information ("forward-looking statements"). All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included herein, including, without limitation, statements relating to interpretation of drill results, targets for exploration, potential extensions of mineralized zones, future work plans, the use of funds, and the potential of the Company's projects, are forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of Company management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to Company management and reflect the beliefs, opinions, and projections on the date the statements are made. Forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties and accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include but are not limited to, exploration and development risks, unanticipated reclamation expenses, expenditure and financing requirements, general economic conditions, changes in financial markets, the ability to properly and efficiently staff the Company's operations, the sufficiency of working capital and funding for continued operations, title matters, First Nations relations, operating hazards, political and economic factors, competitive factors, metal prices, relationships with vendors and strategic partners, governmental regulations and oversight, permitting, seasonality and weather, technological change, industry practices, uncertainties involved in the interpretation of drilling results and laboratory tests, and one-time events. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward‐looking statements or beliefs, opinions, projections or other factors, except as required by law.
1 For Mactung Mineral Resources, see Fireweed news release dated June 13, 2023 "Fireweed Metals Announces Mineral Resources for the Mactung Project: the Largest High-Grade Tungsten Deposit in the World" and the technical report entitled "NI 43-101 Technical Report, Mactung Project, Yukon Territory, Canada," with effective date July 28, 2023 filed on https://www.sedarplus.ca/. Garth Kirkham, P.Geo. is considered independent of the Company, and a 'Qualified Person' as defined under NI 43-101. Garth Kirkham, of Kirkham Geosystems Limited., is responsible for the Mactung Mineral Resource Estimate.
2 True widths for primary intervals are estimated by measuring perpendicular to strike within the short axis of a stratiform wireframe that has been constructed in 3D around the mineralized intercepts at Tom based on assay results, geological logging, stratigraphic correlation, and bedding measurements from oriented core. The massive sulphide mineralization and laminated mineralization at Tom are stratiform (oriented parallel to bedding), therefore the true width, or thickness, of the zone is estimated perpendicular to both the strike and dip direction of bedding. True widths are rounded to the nearest metre for widths over 10 m and to the nearest 0.1 m for widths less than 10 m, as this better reflects the precision of the estimates. True widths should be regarded as approximate as these are derived from an estimation that uses a preliminary interpretation of the geological model.
