A fire in one room at Savannah River National Laboratory led to a site-area emergency at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site on Wednesday evening, Oct. 28. SRS reported the fire at 5:39 p.m. and said it had been extinguished after an unfiltered, ground-level radiological release.
SRS said it had no indication of contamination beyond the site boundary. That assurance concerns conditions outside the site; the agency also reported a radiological release inside the facility.
Employees in the laboratory’s Area A sheltered behind barricades for about 30 minutes. SRS said workers not involved in emergency response or shutdown operations were kept sheltered as a precaution. Some people were allowed to leave, while others were not allowed to enter.
As part of the response, SRS closed entrance barricades to incoming traffic and restricted nearby rail, river and air traffic. Site officials directed the response and notified state and local government agencies.
The report did not establish whether the emergency declaration, employee sheltering or transportation restrictions remained in effect later Wednesday. The Savannah River Site, which includes the laboratory, spans Aiken, Barnwell and Allendale counties in South Carolina.
Yolonda Harris
News Now Georgia
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