FAA cites “US Govt Nuclear Incident,” then SRS ends emergency
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a temporary flight restriction Wednesday evening describing a “US Govt Nuclear Incident at Savannah River Site,” restricting a 15-nautical-mile radius up to 10,000 feet near Jackson, South Carolina. The NOTAM text provided reads in part: “FDC 6/3438 … TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS FOR US GOVT NUCLEAR INCIDENT AT SAVANNAH RIVER SITE … WI AN AREA DEFINED AS A 15 NM RADIUS … SFC-10,000FT.” (FAA notice text as quoted in The Gateway Pundit; see also a Hunterbrook post pointing to the NOTAM.)
Site declares emergency after lab fire
In a 7:30 p.m. statement, Savannah River Site (SRS) officials said they had declared a “Site Area Emergency” at 5:39 p.m. on Oct. 28 after “a fire … at the Savannah River National Laboratory,” adding the fire “has since been extinguished” and “no contamination has been reported outside the affected facility.” SRS said rail, river, and air traffic in the vicinity were restricted as a precaution and that some employees were sheltered, with state and local agencies notified.
All clear at 9:45 p.m.; SRS cites no detectable contamination
At 9:45 p.m., SRS said the Site Area Emergency “was terminated,” reporting that “radiological surveys indicated no detectable levels of contamination,” that “protective actions have been lifted,” and that site barricades had reopened. SRS also said oncoming shift workers should report as usual and that Highway 125 remained open.
Conflicting time stamps and a local dispatch note
SRS’ 9:45 p.m. update listed the emergency declaration time as 5:07 p.m., which differs from the 5:39 p.m. time in the earlier statement. Local WRDW-TV reporter Meredith Anderson wrote on Facebook that a dispatch call “involved a fire in a single room and an unfiltered ground-level radiological release,” while also noting “there appears to be no off-site danger.” Her account has not been confirmed by SRS’ later statements.
Airspace and access
The FAA restriction described above encompassed a 15-mile radius to 10,000 feet. The Gateway Pundit later wrote the airspace limitation had “apparently” been lifted. Separately, SRS said its site barricades reopened when the emergency was terminated.
The site
SRS identified itself in statements as a Department of Energy facility near Aiken, South Carolina, and the incident location as the Savannah River National Laboratory.
