Photo: JOHANNES EISELE / AFP / Getty Images
An emergency alert was lifted at the Savannah River National Laboratory in South Carolina after a fire broke out on Wednesday (October 28). The incident triggered an emergency response that restricted rail, river, and air traffic near the site. One employee sustained minor injuries, but no detectable levels of contamination were found, and the emergency was ended.
The Savannah River National Laboratory, which manages nuclear materials and radioactive waste for the Department of Energy, has not yet determined the cause of the fire. The facility is located near Aiken and has been a key site for nuclear material management since the Cold War era.
The Savannah River Site has been involved in various nuclear-related activities, including uranium recovery and the production of plutonium cores for nuclear weapons. It is also an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site, undergoing cleanup and environmental remediation efforts.