Fire at South Carolina nuclear lab ends without off-site contamination

A fire broke out at the Savannah River National Laboratory near Aiken, South Carolina, on Wednesday evening. The laboratory sits on the Savannah River Site, which produces materials for US nuclear weapons.

Site officials declared the emergency at 5:39 p.m. and temporarily closed traffic at all facility entrances. Rail, river and air traffic in the surrounding area were also restricted as a precaution.

“No contamination was reported outside the affected facilities.”

Employees working in affected areas who were not involved in emergency response or shutdown operations were told to remain at their workplaces. Nearby residents were advised to follow local news broadcasts for updates and instructions.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze about two hours after it was reported. Site officials said no contamination was reported outside the affected facilities.

Traffic at all entrance barriers resumed at 9:18 p.m., and the site emergency was terminated at 9:45 p.m. Incoming shift workers were permitted to report for duty as usual.

The Savannah River Site includes both the national laboratory and a defense complex overseen by the National Nuclear Security Administration. It is managed by private contractors Battelle Savannah River Alliance and Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC. More than 13,000 contractors and federal employees work there.

Built in the 1950s to produce tritium and plutonium for nuclear weapons, the site still produces tritium and handles spent nuclear fuel, uranium and plutonium. The laboratory area focuses primarily on research rather than large-scale nuclear material production and storage.