The blaze was extinguished and no contamination was reported outside the affected facility.

A fire at a U.S. nuclear research facility in South Carolina triggered an emergency response Wednesday, prompting temporary access restrictions and precautionary measures for workers before the emergency was lifted later that evening.

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The emergency was declared at 5:39 p.m. local time (2139 GMT) after a fire broke out at the Savannah River National Laboratory, part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS).

The fire was later extinguished, and no contamination was reported outside the affected facility, the SRS said in a social media statement.

Authorities temporarily suspended traffic at the site’s entrances and restricted rail, river and air traffic in the surrounding area. Employees not involved in emergency response or shutdown operations were directed to shelter as a precaution.

🔥 US officials end Site Area Emergency following a fire at Savannah River National Laboratory in South Carolina

☢️ Radiological surveys detect no contamination, according to officials https://t.co/37keP3xVfb pic.twitter.com/XNhM9QU9TT

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) October 29, 2026

The emergency was terminated at 9:45 p.m. local time (0145 GMT Thursday), according to a subsequent update.

The Savannah River Site was established in the 1950s to produce tritium and plutonium for U.S. nuclear weapons. It is now used for environmental stewardship and cleanup, nuclear waste management and the disposition of nuclear materials, according to the Department of Energy.

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