Savannah River Lab Fire Triggers Second-Highest Emergency Level
A blaze at the nuclear research facility forced a temporary shutdown of local air and rail traffic before officials confirmed no off-site contamination.
By Maya Morris ·
A fire at the Savannah River National Laboratory forced a rapid emergency response on Wednesday that halted incoming traffic and limited air and rail service near the facility.
The blaze occurred at the Department of Energy complex in South Carolina, a site where the federal government once manufactured tritium and plutonium-239 for nuclear weapons.
Site officials declared the incident the second-highest of three emergency categories, a level reserved for situations where something more serious has occurred.
The fire was extinguished by Wednesday night, and normal operations resumed immediately afterward.
A site statement reported that no detectable levels of contamination were found.
Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, noted the presence of a buffer zone between most facilities and public areas.
He described the lack of off-site contamination as reassuring but emphasized the need for extreme precautions due to the potential for radioactive dispersal.
The Savannah River Site has operated since the early 1950s during the height of the Cold War.
The facility now focuses on environmental stewardship, cleanup, and the management of nuclear waste.
The laboratory currently conducts experiments with nuclear materials and processes radioactive substances, including radioisotope recovery from used nuclear fuel.
Source: WCCB
