Savannah River Lab fire ends with no radioactive leak detected

A fire at the Savannah River National Laboratory in South Carolina triggered the second-highest emergency classification at the federal nuclear complex on Wednesday, October 28. The incident forced temporary restrictions on traffic and access routes near Aiken.

The U.S. Department of Energy declared a Site Area Emergency as a precautionary measure. Officials blocked incoming vehicles and halted air, rail, and river transportation in the vicinity. Certain employees received orders to shelter in place while the situation remained active.

Emergency crews extinguished the flames on Wednesday evening. Subsequent radiological surveys found no detectable contamination. Site leaders lifted the emergency declaration and reopened entrances to the laboratory following these results.

The Savannah River Site serves as a major hub for nuclear research and environmental cleanup. The facility originally produced plutonium and tritium for the nation’s nuclear weapons program during the Cold War. Current operations center on scientific research, waste management, and handling nuclear materials.

Agency officials have not released a cause for the fire. No further details on the origin of the blaze were available as of the report's publication.