According to the US Department of Energy, a fire broke out at a major nuclear research complex supporting the country’s nuclear weapons program in South Carolina.
According to the US Department of Energy, a fire broke out at a major nuclear research complex supporting the country’s nuclear weapons program in South Carolina. The fire occurred on Wednesday evening at the Savannah River National Laboratory, located near the Savannah River Site (SRS), and was subsequently extinguished.
In a statement, the department said, “No contamination outside the affected building has been reported.” Emergency protocols were activated, and employees not involved in the response operations were ordered to stop work and remain in safe locations as a precaution. Traffic entering the site was suspended, while nearby rail, river and air transportation were restricted.
Authorities lifted the emergency declaration at 9:45 p.m., stating that radiation surveys had detected no measurable contamination. Safety restrictions were removed, and the site was permitted to resume normal operations on Thursday. Local media reported that the fire was confined to a single room and involved an unfiltered release of radioactive material at ground level. One employee was transported to a hospital with minor injuries.
The Savannah River Site was established in the early 1950s during the Cold War and initially produced plutonium and tritium for US nuclear weapons. Although its production reactors have been shut down, the complex continues to play a significant role in maintaining the US nuclear arsenal. SRS processes and replenishes tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen used to enhance the explosive power of nuclear warheads. It also manages nuclear materials, handles radioactive waste disposal and carries out environmental remediation.
The US government is also developing a facility at SRS to manufacture plutonium pits for nuclear warheads as part of efforts to modernize the country's nuclear weapons stockpile. The incident comes less than two weeks after a fire broke out during a live-fire training exercise at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta, Canada, killing four soldiers and injuring 39 others. According to the Canadian military, strong winds caused the fire to spread rapidly, engulfing an area occupied by troops. The Canadian Armed Forces reported last week that 27 personnel remained hospitalized, while 12 had been discharged.
