Chemical fire forces evacuation in Oak Ridge

WATE ^ | WATE

[FairOpinion]

OAK RIDGE (WATE) -- A fire at the former K-25 site west of Oak Ridge has forced residents living nearby to evacuate.

Dept. of Energy officials say the fire at the East Tennessee Technology Park was caused when liquid sodium reacted to water vapor in the air. They stress that no radioactive material is involved in the incident.

There have been no injuries and all personnel are accounted for at the site.

Warnings sounded at 1:10 p.m. Roane Co. Sheriff's Department officers are assisting in the evacuation. Residents living within 1/2-mile of the facility are being asked to leave their homes. They may go to a shelter that has been set up at Roane State Community College in Harriman where cots and other facilities have been set up.

Residents who are not sure if they should evacuate may call a hotline set up by DOE's Joint Information Center. The number is (865) 362-8600.

Roads near the K-25 site have been closed off, including Gallaher Road between I-40 and Oak Ridge, as well as state roads 95 and 58.

Tennessee Wilderness Resources Agency officers checked the Clinch River to make sure no boaters or fishermen where in the evacuation area.

Officials say there was one report of a family driving through smoke from the fire and later saying they felt sick.

The fire started in an area involved in recycling sodium at the former federal nuclear facilities. DOE spokesman Walter Perry said the fire must be allowed to burn itself out. "We're still on site working to contain the fire," Perry told 6 News.

[FairOpinion]

[FairOpinion]

It looks like it's not at the nuclear plant, but near there.

Any FReepers near by have any updates?

A couple of more articles, each with a few more tid-bit info.

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A chemical reaction created an emergency situation this afternoon at the K-25 site in Oak Ridge. Evacuations were ordered within a half mile radius of the area.

K-25 was originally built in the 1940's to process uranium for the Manhattan project which built the first atomic bomb. The facility continued to process nuclear material until the 1980's. The site is currently being cleaned up by the Department of Energy for industrial use. It is now officially known as the East Tennessee Technology Park.

http://www.wbir.com/News/news.asp?ID=18071

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Fire crews and emergency management officials are on the scene of a fire at the East Tennessee Technology Park, at a plant called Toxco.

The nuclear facility, K-25 is in the park, but the Department of Energy confirms the fire in NOT at K-25. Toxco is located inside the city of Oak Ridge, but in Roane County.

The fire began just after 1:00pm Saturday afternoon. The Tennessee Emergency Management Authority says it's a sodium hydroxide fire.

There is a precautionary evacuation underway in the region. TEMA is evacuating people who live within a half mile around the East Tennessee Technology Plant. A shelter has been set up by the Red Cross at the Roane State Community College in Harriman in the gym. Officials will be there to guide and assist anyone who needs help.

http://www.volunteertv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1851034&nav=4QcHMxPv

[Mo1]

Is this the fire you mentioned earlier?

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

I know how it started;

"So I'm singin'
Elvira, Elvira
My heart's on fire Elvira...."

[Tennessee_Bob]

It used to be part of the weapons plant here in Oak Ridge - K-25 was home of the gaseous centrifuge process for enriching uranium. They're cleaning it up for industrial use - trying to revitalize the area.