FAA Restricts Airspace Over Savannah River Site Near Aiken, South Carolina, After Laboratory Fire

A fire at Savannah River National Laboratory prompted an emergency declaration and restrictions on air, rail and river traffic near the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site on Wednesday, October 28.

Officials declared a Site Area Emergency at 5:39 p.m. The fire was extinguished, and no contamination was reported outside the affected facility, according to an SRS statement. 

The FAA imposed a temporary flight restriction over the site, with its notice describing a “U.S. Gov’t Nuclear Incident,” according to WSB-TV. 

WRDW reported that the fire involved a single room and an unfiltered ground-level radiological release, citing SRS. 

Site entrances were closed to incoming traffic as a precaution. Employees in affected areas who were not involved in emergency response or shutdown operations were sheltered. Officials advised nearby residents to monitor local broadcasts for instructions from state authorities.