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Y-12: Uranium fire was contained in an area smaller than '1 square foot'

Y-12 leaders said on-site monitoring saw no release of contamination on the property or off-site.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — The Y-12 fire, which forced the evacuation of building 9212 and soft lockdowns across the national security facility, was contained to an area smaller than 1 square foot, according to responses to emailed questions from Y-12 Public Affairs Manager Steven Wyatt. 

Wyatt said several hundred employees were evacuated and a "small number of operators were in the vicinity of the equipment in which the fire occurred." 

Y-12 leaders said Wednesday the fire involved a metal form of uranium and started inside a hood. Wyatt said the uranium was being processed for storage. 

"The reaction took place during appropriate, normal work activity," Wyatt said. 

Oak Ridge City Councilwoman Ellen Smith studied the environmental impacts of radiation during her decades at Oak Ridge National Lab. Smith said metallic Uranium is known to catch fire from something as simple as exposure to moist air.

On Wednesday, Wyatt said the Y-12 Fire Department responded and used an "extinguishing agent" to stabilize the fire. 

Wyatt said crews are collecting the material involved and cleaning the area of the fire. He said there was no damage to the processing equipment. 

"Consolidated Nuclear Security and the National Nuclear Security Administration Production Office will work together to fully investigate and learn from the event," Wyatt said in the email. 

It's not clear whether a third party would be involved in the investigation. 

Building 9212 was built in the 1940s and is part of Y-12's mission to process uranium. In 2019, a chemical leak in building 9212 forced an emergency response. Wyatt said the two incidents are not related. 

The Government Accountability Office said the Department of Energy is looking to phase out the use of building 9212 by 2035. 

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