Savannah River Site: Fire at US nuclear lab triggers 'radiological release' scare, shuts down rail, river, air traffic. What happened?

A fire at a US Department of Energy nuclear research facility in South Carolina triggered a "radiological release" scare on Wednesday (Oct 28) 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 pm. The fire caused an "unfiltered ground-level radiological release", WRDW reported, citing the Savannah River Site (SRS).

The blaze was extinguished less than two hours later, officials said, and at the time of this report, there were no reports of contamination outside the "affected" building.

Staff sheltered in place

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.

Nuclear site opened after 4 hours

The emergency at the Savannah River Site Area, as per an official notification on X, was terminated at 9:45 pm, four hours after the fire prompted a shutdown. Protective actions have been lifted, and site barricades have reopened.

About the site: Why it matters?

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 on nuclear environmental cleanup and related technologies, making the site both a cleanup project and an active hub for national security and nuclear science.