Fire at Los Alamos nuclear facility plutonium site: No-fly. Evacs.

Human, environmental toll of nuclear and hazardous production and storage facilities

Monday, the United States was threatened with radioactive fallout from not only Nebraska's Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant battling long-term flooding, but also New Mexico's Los Alamos nuclear laboratory battling a long-term fire. National Guardsmen are on the scene where Las Conchas fire, according to ABC, raged up onto the nation's most secretive and sensitive facility site, the Los Alamos National Security Research facility with radioactive material onsite, and only about three miles from a dumpsite storing as many as 30,000 55-gallon drums of plutonium-contaminated waste in fabric tents above ground.

The fire on the facility site was extinguished. Over 44,000 acres have been engulfed in fire. Firefighters are scrambling to keep the fire away from the nuclear facility. (See the ABC report here.)

William Hunter paused from loading his truck, as pieces of ash continued to fall on his house like lonely snowflakes reported Journal North. “I’ve got PTSD from last time,” he said, referring to the destructive 2000 Cerro Grande fire.

“The ash, the smoke, the big plume – I’ve been scatter-brained all day.”

Los Alamos Lab spokesman Steve Sandoval has problems, too. He declined to confirm plutonium-contaminated drums presently on the Los Alamos property, according to Associated Press late Monday, after nuclear watchdogs reported the storage issue.

"He acknowledged that low-level waste is at times put in drums and regularly taken from the lab to the Waste Isolation Pilot Project site in Carlsbad" reported AP.

Sandoval said the fire was "quite a bit away" from that storage area but could not say what would happen if drums containing such waste were to burn.

"Unfortunately, I cannot answer that question other than to say that the material is well protected. And the lab — knowing that it works with hazardous and nuclear materials — takes great pains to make sure it is protected and locked in concrete steel vaults. And the fire poses very little threat to them."

Sandoyal did acknowledge low-level waste is at times put in drums and regularly taken from the lab to the Waste Isolation Pilot Project site in Carlsbad.

Jay Coughlin, executive director of Nuclear Watch New Mexico reported the dumpsite storing plutonium. The anti-nuclear watchdog group, Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety are also keeping close eye on the situation.

At Los Alamos Laboratory, people scrambled to ensure radioactive and hazardous material were protected from the wind-driven fire that forced the installation to close.

All aircraft has been grounded near Los Alamos, reportedly due to high winds according to Reuters. Officials claim no radiation has been released from the facility that was forced to close.

Explosive materials at Los Alamos nuclear laboratory have been reportedly safe as fires raged up to the building Monday, but it was too close to comfort considering the plutonium on the property.

Los Alamos Laboratory, home of the birth of the atomic bomb, ensures safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. In the Jemez mountains of northern New Mexico, the facility was developed in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project to create the first atomic bomb. It still maintains the nation's largest nuclear weapons arsenal.

Approximately 1200 people are under a mandatory evacuation order, everyone in Los Alamos reported Reuters.

"The hair on the back of your neck goes up," said Los Alamos County fire chief Doug Tucker as he explained when he first saw the fire Sunday in the Santa Fe National Forest.

"I saw that plume and I thought, 'Oh my God here we go again.'"

"This fire is going to be with us for a while. It has the potential to double and triple in size."

According to AP, Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M. visited evacuees at Santa Claran Hotel Casino in Espanola where he said "there's no doubt" the lab stores a variety of hazardous and radioactive materials that "you don't want to escape in the atmosphere."

Officials won’t know the real scope of it until they fly over it Tuesday morning.

Mandatory evacuations

Mike Thompson, Los Alamos assistant police chief, told the Journal that Los Alamos evacuations were ordered after the fire topped a ridge at Valles Caldera and moved onto Pajarito ski hill, giving it an easy shot into the town. The road into Los Alamos closed at 7:30pm Monday.

As Los Alamos residents loaded their cars and trucks, many had horrible flashbacks to the 2000 Cerro Grande fire that destroyed over 350 homes.

“Déjà vu all over again,” said Blair Braden, scrambling around his friend's house who had left but forgot her medications. (Journal North)

The ordered mandatory evacuation was to proceed in order according to KRQE. Residents are now out of Los Alamos according to ABC early Tuesday morning.

The Big Rock Santa Claran Event Center opened as a shelter for those voluntarily evacuating with no accommodations. Residents with friends and family in the area were asked to stay with them to keep shelter space available for those who most needing it. County is coordinating with regional resources to open more shelters.

People without transportation were asked to call call 505-661-7433 (Atomic City Transit, the County’s transit system). They will start arranging busses to pick up those who need bus service. If any help is needed, phone the American Red Cross on 265-8514 or 800-560-2302.

For further emergency assistance information, see KRQE.com, (http://www.krqe.com/dpp/weather/wildfires/los-alamos-under-mandatory-evacuation). Residents are asked to seek information about the size of the fire or other general fire updates on the USFS webpage rather than calling the County. Links to public information about Las Conchas fire is on the News page at www.losalamosnm.us.