South Carolina nuclear site that processes radioactive waste lifts emergency after lab fire

The US Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina terminated a Site Area Emergency on Wednesday night, October 28, after a fire at the Laboratory was extinguished and radiological surveys detected no contamination.

“The Savannah River Site Area Emergency was terminated at 9:45 p.m. Protective actions have been lifted, and site barricades have reopened,” officials said in a news release issued at 9:45 p.m. local time.

The emergency was declared earlier Wednesday evening after a fire was reported Savannah River National Laboratory, which operates within the nuclear complex near Aiken, South Carolina.


“A fire was reported at the Savannah River National Laboratory but has since been extinguished. Radiological surveys indicated no detectable levels of contamination,” the latest release stated.

Officials had earlier announced the emergency in an update posted on the Savannah River Site’s official X account. The post said the emergency was declared at 5:39 p.m. on October 28.

However, the media release stated the emergency was declared at 5:07 p.m.

In an earlier update on X, officials said no contamination had been reported outside the affected facility. They also confirmed that emergency response teams were managing the incident and that relevant state and local government agencies had been notified.

Restricting access for rail, river, and air traffic, the agency earlier said, “as a precaution, barricades at site entrances have been closed to incoming traffic. Rail, river, and air traffic in the vicinity of SRS is also being restricted. SRS officials are directing response efforts and have notified the appropriate state and local government agencies.”

Employees in affected areas who were not involved in emergency response or shutdown operations were instructed earlier to shelter in place.

And when the emergency terminated, officials confirmed that protective actions had been lifted and site barricades had reopened. Highway 125 remained open throughout the incident, according to the release.

The site also issued instructions for employees returning to work. “Oncoming shift workers should report to work as usual, and all other employees should report to work as scheduled on Thursday, Oct. 29,” officials said.

The cause of the fire and whether anyone was injured have not been disclosed in the latest release.

About the Savannah River Site’s nuclear history

The Savannah River Site is approximately 310 square miles across Aiken, Barnwell, and Allendale counties inside South Carolina. Established in the early 1950s during the Cold War, the facility initially produced materials for nuclear weapons, including plutonium-239 and tritium, interestingengineering noted.

Today, the site manages radioactive waste, spent nuclear fuel, and excess plutonium. As per the outlet, it also conducts tritium operations supporting the US nuclear deterrent.