Fire at U.S. nuclear laboratory leads to radioactive release

At the Savannah River National Laboratory on the territory of the US Department of Energy nuclear complex in South Carolina, a fire occurred, accompanied by the release of radioactive substances. This is reported by the TV channel WRDW/WAGT with reference to the administration of the complex.

The official account of the Savannah River complex in X reported that emergency services were involved at the facility. "At this point, there are no signs of consequences outside the Savannah River territory," the notice said. The cause of the incident was not specified, promising to provide additional information later.

The fire occurred in one room of the laboratory. The report, which leads the channel, says about “unfiltered release of radioactive substances at ground level”. The fire was extinguished.

The state of emergency on the territory of the complex was declared on October 28 at 17:39 local time - at 00:39 GMT on October 29. As a precautionary measure, the entrance was closed, and rail, river and air traffic nearby was restricted. Staff in affected areas who were not involved in emergency work were ordered to remain in shelter.

The Savannah River complex was built in the early 1950s to produce materials for nuclear weapons, primarily plutonium-239 and tritium. His work now includes handling nuclear materials and radioactive waste, clean-up and research.