Fire reported at nuclear facility in SC, prompting emergency response

A fire has caused an emergency response at a nuclear facility near the Georgia state line in South Carolina Tuesday night.

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A Site Area Emergency was declared at Savannah River Site because of a fire at the Savannah River National Laboratory, near Aiken, South Carolina. The emergency was declared at around 5:39 p.m.

The fire has since been extinguished. No contamination has been detected outside the affected facility.

“As a precaution, barricades at site entrances have been closed to incoming traffic. Rail, river, and air traffic in the vicinity of SRS is also being restricted,” according to Savannah River Site officials.

Officials at the site say area residents “should tune in to local radio and TV stations where state officials will announce any actions citizens may need to take.”

A temporary flight restriction has been placed over the site until Friday at 4 a.m. for “U.S. Gov’t Nuclear Incident,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The flight restriction includes a section of eastern Georgia near Waynesboro.

Workers at the facility in areas affected by the incident that aren’t involved in the emergency response sheltered in place as a precaution.

The Savannah River National Laboratory is one of 17 U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratories.

The Savannah River Site includes a plutonium processing facility and a disposal site for spent nuclear fuel.

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