A fire at the US Department of Energy’s Savannah River National Laboratory in South Carolina prompted a temporary “radiological release” emergency Wednesday evening, leading officials to halt rail, river and air traffic around the facility.
The fire started shortly before 5:40 p.m. in a single room at the nuclear research facility, according to officials. Crews brought the blaze under control in under two hours.
Although authorities reported no contamination beyond the building involved, the incident resulted in an “unfiltered ground-level radiological release,” WRDW reported, citing the Savannah River Site, or SRS.
People working in the Area A laboratory complex were ordered to shelter in place behind barricades for roughly 30 minutes, sources told the local news station.
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SRS said in a statement that employees not participating in emergency response efforts or shutdown procedures were also sheltered as a precaution.
Authorities temporarily restricted rail, river and air movement near the site. Entrances to the complex were also closed to incoming traffic, the Department of Energy said.
The Savannah River Site covers about 310 square miles across multiple South Carolina counties. The sprawling Department of Energy complex includes the Savannah River National Laboratory, where the fire occurred.
According to the local outlet, the laboratory specializes in nuclear environmental cleanup and related technologies. The broader site serves both as a major cleanup operation and as an active center for national security research and nuclear science.