Los Alamos nuclear lab: New Mexico fire forces closure

[Gerald]

Doug Tucker, Los Alamos fire chief: "We're doing our best to keep it off the lab"

One of the top nuclear weapons research facilities in the US will remain closed until Thursday as fire fighters battle a wildfire raging at its boundary.

Only "essential-duties" staff at Los Alamos National Laboratory will be permitted on site on Wednesday.

Officials at the New Mexico facility have said they detected "no off-site releases of contamination".

The town outside the laboratory in the state of New Mexico was evacuated on Monday as the fire raged nearby.

Officials said the nuclear facilities faced "no immediate threat" but warned of damage to houses.

The lab, opened during World War II, led the development of the atomic bomb.

By late Monday, the Las Conchas fire had grown to 68 sq miles (176 sq km), burning through forests, canyons, and mesas, fuelled by dry timber and powered by strong winds.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13937781


Note: 28 June 2011 Last updated at 14:36 GMT

[Gerald]

Officials from the Los Alamos National Laboratory say dangerous materials are safely stored.

Hundreds more firefighters are being deployed to battle a wildfire near a top US nuclear weapons research lab in New Mexico amid concerns the blaze could reach radioactive waste.

Nearby residents have expressed concern about potential contamination if flames reach barrels stored outside.

But officials are confident the blaze will not reach the drums and they say dangerous materials are safely stored.

The town outside Los Alamos National Laboratory was evacuated on Monday.

On Wednesday, there were expected to be between 600 to 800 firefighters tackling the blaze, deputy incident commander Mike Bradley told the Albuquerque Journal, adding that the number could climb as high as 1,000.

Air National Guard members from Colorado, California and North Carolina have also flown in to help local crews battle the blaze near the lab, which remains closed to all but essential staff until at least Thursday.

The Environmental Protection Agency has deployed air monitors and aircraft that can monitor radiation levels, amid fears the blaze could reach a cache of 30,000 drums, each containing 55 gallons (208 litres) of plutonium-contaminated waste.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13963361


Note: Update Record,29 June 2011 Last updated at 15:54 GMT