A fire at a US Department of Energy nuclear research facility in South Carolina triggered a “radiological release” scare on Wednesday evening — shutting down rail, river and air traffic in the area.
The blaze broke out inside a single room at the Savannah River National Laboratory just before 5:40 p.m. and was extinguished less than two hours later, officials said.
While no contamination was reported outside the “affected” building, the fire caused an “unfiltered ground-level radiological release,” WRDW reported, citing the Savannah River Site (SRS).
Employees in the Area A lab area had to hunker down in place behind barricades for about 30 minutes, sources told the local station.
Workers who were not involved in the emergency response or shutdown operations were also sheltered as a precaution, SRS said in a press release.
Rail, river and air traffic were restricted in the area — as well as site entrances to incoming traffic, the department said.
The Savannah River Site is a 310-square-mile US Department of Energy complex spread across several counties in South Carolina — which includes the Savannah River National Laboratory where the fire broke out.
The lab conducts research in nuclear environmental cleanup and related technologies, meaning the site is both a cleanup project and an active hub for national security and nuclear science, according to the local outlet.
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