In South Carolina’s Savannah River National Laboratory, a fire broke out on Oct. 28, 2026, prompting an emergency declaration at 5:39 p.m. local time, according to Xinhua. The laboratory’s social‑media statement confirmed that the blaze was extinguished and that no contamination has been reported outside the affected facility.
Xinhua also noted that the incident led to a temporary shutdown of traffic at the facility’s entrances and that rail, river, and air traffic in the vicinity were placed under restriction. Employees not involved in emergency response or shutdown operations were sheltered as a precaution.
"The fire has since been extinguished. No contamination has been reported outside the affected facility," the Savannah River Site said in a statement on social media.
In a statement released later the same evening, Xinhua reported that the emergency was terminated at 9:45 p.m. local time (0145 GMT Thursday). The facility, built in the 1950s to produce tritium and plutonium for U.S. nuclear weapons, is now used for environmental stewardship, cleanup, and nuclear waste management.
The incident was also covered by CNN, which reported that no contamination was found outside the lab and that the emergency response was short‑lived. WRAL echoed the report that the emergency was declared at 5:39 p.m., the fire was extinguished, and there was no external contamination, underscoring the rapid containment effort.
At the time of this report, no injuries or radioactive releases were announced, and the emergency remains classified as contained. The incident highlights the safety protocols in place at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site, a critical component of the nation’s nuclear stewardship.
