Savannah River site, USA News (South Carolina): A US nuclear facility has gone into emergency after a “radiological release”. The Department of Energy’s Savannah River site in South Carolina said a fire broke out in the facility at 5.39pm local time (9.39pm GMT).
Site officials told local media there had been an “unfiltered ground-level radiological release”. The fire has since been extinguished, and at 2.14am, the facility announced that the site area emergency had concluded.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has now issued a temporary flight restriction around the area. The aviation body described the event as a US Government “nuclear incident”. The restricted airspace includes a 15-nautical-mile radius from the surface to 10,000 feet above sea level.
Employees in the area were told to shelter in place for 30 minutes after the incident was reported. They were later allowed to leave, a US-based outlet WRDW first reported, but employees were not allowed in. Officials from the Savannah River site said employees not involved in the emergency response or shutdown operations have been sheltered in place. Rail and river transport in the area has also been restricted.
Officials from the nuclear facility have insisted there is no nuclear contamination beyond the 310-square-mile site.
Facility Background
Local media said it first became aware of the incident after receiving calls about traffic near the main gate of the facility. The Savannah River Site sits on land across three counties adjacent to the river.
It was first built in the 1950s to produce plutonium and tritium for nuclear weapons. The facility now largely works on the long-term management and disposal of nuclear materials and waste. It is, however, the only US facility to produce tritium for the nuclear weapons stockpile.
The South Carolina facility is home to the world’s largest radioactive waste vitrification plant, a process which involves transforming dangerous material into a stable substance for long-term storage and disposal. Employees at the facility regularly prepare for emergencies, with dozens of drills performed each year. Residents who live near the site have been urged to tune in to local news.
