The US Department of Energy announced that a fire broke out in a laboratory at the Savannah River Site, which supports the nuclear weapons program in the state of South Carolina. It was reported that the fire, which began Wednesday evening at the Savannah River National Laboratory near Aiken, has been extinguished.
The department and facility officials stated that emergency procedures were activated following the incident. Personnel not involved in responding to the fire were instructed to cease operations and shelter in place. While the facility was closed to incoming traffic, restrictions were also placed on surrounding rail, river, and air traffic.
Officials stated that radiation measurements showed no detectable levels of contamination outside the facility. It was reported that the emergency declaration was lifted at 9:45 p.m. local time, protective measures were ended, and the facility was cleared to return to normal operations on Thursday.
Reports in local media suggested that the fire broke out in a single room and involved an unfiltered radiological release at the floor level. It was reported that one employee was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
PLUTONIUM PROJECT WAS APPROVED TWO WEEKS AGO
The Savannah River Site was established in the early 1950s during the Cold War to produce plutonium and tritium for US nuclear weapons. Although the production reactors were later shut down, the facility continues to play a critical role in maintaining the US nuclear arsenal.
The facility processes and replenishes tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen used to increase the explosive power of nuclear warheads. The site also conducts management of nuclear materials, treatment of radioactive waste, and environmental cleanup operations.
The fire occurred shortly after the approval of a plutonium pit production project being developed at Savannah River as part of the US program to modernize its nuclear weapons stockpile. The National Nuclear Security Administration authorized the start of full-scale construction for the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility on October 15.
News Source: 12punto
