A wildfire at the Nevada National Security Site moved into an area containing radiological contamination from a Cold War-era test over the weekend and continued to burn as of deadline Monday, according to the former test site.
“Estimates provided by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center indicate potential radiological exposures for onsite personnel are well below the criteria for initiating protective actions,” according to a Sunday statement from the DOE-funded Community Environmental Monitoring Program, which in partnership with other organizations keeps watch over the Nevada National Security Site. “A radiological response team has taken multiple samples from throughout the Site today, and results will be available tomorrow.”
The Nevada National Security Site said someone first reported smoke from what is now called the Cherrywood Fire on May 17. As of Saturday, the fire was burning over some 35,000 acres, including on land outside of the former test site, according to the Community Environmental Monitoring Program.
The southern border of the remote Nevada National Security Site is located in the desert more than 50 miles northwest by road of Las Vegas. The Cherrywood Fire is burning in “the northern section” of the former test site, according to the site. The site is about the size of Rhode Island.
