Uranium chips at Oak Ridge, TN Nuclear Weapons Plant caught fire

[Ian David]

GLIDE Number: NC-20070315-10354-USA
Date / time: 15/03/2007 19:42:03
Event: Nuclear Event
Area: North-America
Country: USA
State/County: State of Tennessee
City: Oak Ridge
Number of Deads: None or unknow
Number of Injured: None or unknow
Damage level: Minor

Description:
Uranium chips at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant spontaneously caught fire Thursday and the small blaze was quickly extinguished, officials said.

No workers were injured or contaminated by radiation and no damage was done to the building, said Bill Wilburn, spokesman for BWXT Y-12, the managing contractor for the Department of Energy facility. The building, where about 150 people work, was evacuated. "The fire occurred as workers were transferring uranium chips from one container to another and the chips were exposed to air," Wilburn said.

Employees extinguished the fire with powdered graphite before the plant's fire department arrived. An investigation was under way.

The Y-12 plant makes parts from highly enriched uranium for every warhead in the U.S. nuclear arsenal. It also is the country's primary storehouse for bomb-grade uranium.

More:
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?lang=eng&id=10354

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03/16/2007
Small fire erupts at Tenn. nuclear plant
The Associated Press

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — Uranium chips at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant spontaneously caught fire Thursday and the small blaze was quickly extinguished, officials said.

<snip>

Employees extinguished the fire with powdered graphite before the plant's fire department arrived. An investigation was under way.

The Y-12 plant makes parts from highly enriched uranium for every warhead in the U.S. nuclear arsenal. It also is the country's primary storehouse for bomb-grade uranium.

Fires occur periodically at the plant. One happened Dec. 15 when a "alcohol-moistened cloth ignited during a spark-producing task to separate parts," according to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.

Bob Alvarez, a former DOE adviser, released a report last year saying there had been at least 23 fires and explosions involving nuclear and non-nuclear materials at Y-12 since 1992.

More:
http://www.firerescue1.com/hazards-hazmat/articles/281109/


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Story last updated at 1:00 am on 3/16/2007
Fire reported at Y-12
By: Darrell Richardson | [e-mail]

<snip>

Shortly after 6 p.m. Thursday evening, the operational emergency was terminated. And, except for the immediate area where uranium chips reportedly caught fire after being exposed to air, employees were allowed to return to Building No. 9204-2E.

<snip>

Y-12 spokesmen further stated the fire was extinguished by employees using powdered graphite, commonly referred to as coke, and that “all personnel been accounted for.”

Shortly after noon, Y-12's Mike Monnett reiterated to The Oak Ridger that there was no personnel contamination nor off-site impact.

<snip>

The fire occurred as workers were transferring uranium chips from one container to another, and the fire was quickly extinguished by workers, according to reports.

<snip>

About 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Y-12 spokesmen announced that, with the exception of Building 9204-2E, the National Security Complex was returning to normal operations.

More:
http://www.oakridger.com/stories/031607/new_156542702.shtml
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