Fire breaks out at US nuclear weapons facility

The blaze started on Wednesday evening at the Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, which plays a crucial role in maintaining America's nuclear arsenal by processing tritium for warheads. Emergency protocols were immediately activated, with employees not involved in response efforts ordered to shelter in place while incoming traffic and nearby rail, river and air traffic were restricted.

Officials lifted the emergency declaration at 9:45pm after radiation surveys found no detectable contamination outside the affected facility. Protective measures were lifted, and the site was cleared to resume normal operations on Thursday. Local media reported the fire occurred in a single room and involved an unfiltered, ground-level radiological release, with one employee hospitalized for minor injuries.

Nuclear facility operations

Established in the early 1950s during the Cold War, SRS originally produced plutonium and tritium for US nuclear weapons. Although its production reactors have been shut down, the complex continues to manage nuclear materials, treat radioactive waste and carry out environmental cleanup. The US government is also developing a facility at SRS to manufacture plutonium cores for nuclear warheads as part of nuclear stockpile modernization efforts.

Recent military incidents

The incident comes less than two weeks after a fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta killed four soldiers and injured 39 others during a live-fire training exercise. The Canadian military reported strong winds caused the blaze to spread rapidly, with 27 personnel still hospitalized and 12 discharged as of last week. Military police have launched an independent investigation into that incident.