Russian nuclear facility fire poses no risk?
Source: news.nationalpost.com
There was no risk of a radiation leak after a fire broke out at a Moscow nuclear research centre housing a non-operational 60-year-old atomic reactor on Sunday, said officials, but Greenpeace Russia expressed serious concern about the incident.The fire broke out early on Sunday in a part of the Alikhanov Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics in southwestern Moscow that contains a research collider, institute officials said in a statement on its website.
There were no radiation sources in the area of the collider, which had been shut off on Dec. 25, and no danger of a radiation leak, the statement said. It said personnel were evacuated and nobody was hurt.
Firefighters at the scene of a fire at a Moscow nuclear research institute, with heavy smoke seen in the background, Feb. 5, 2012. Mikhail Voskresensky/Reuters
Grey smoke rose above the institute, which is encircled by a wall, and an acrid smell filled the air. Some 30 emergency vehicles, including fire trucks and ambulances, stood inside and outside the main gate, witnesses said.
Several phone calls to the institute went unanswered.
The fire was in a basement area, said Sergei Vlasov, spokesman for the Moscow branch of the Emergencies Ministry.
Sergei Novikov, spokesman for Russia’s state nuclear agency Rosatom, said there were no open flames, only smoke that came from an area housing power cables and could not affect any nuclear materials at the institute.
“This case poses no threat to fissile materials,” said Novikov, adding firefighters were pumping foam into the affected area. He said the institute’s heavy-water research reactor was no longer operational.
A Greenpeace Russia official said the incident was potentially very dangerous.
“This is extremely dangerous … this should not have happened at all, but as long as it did, it shows there has been a major failure in their operations,” said Ivan Blokov, campaign director at Greenpeace Russia.
“What we have here is a large amount of radioactive substance right in the centre of Moscow and even if a minor quantity leaks, it would pose a serious problem.”
Russian news agencies issued conflicting reports.
Interfax cited a police source as saying fire brigades were denied access to the facility for “a long time” before being allowed in, but the institute said that was not the case.
It said the fire had not been extinguished as of 4:20 p.m. (1320 GMT). State-run RIA reported earlier the fire had already been put out.
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Read the full article at: nationalpost.com
Ed Note: While reports of a fire at a nuclear facility are concerning, there is little information to be found on this incident. In this above article, it’s difficult to know which source of information to trust - the famously tight-lipped Russian government, or the notorious eco-activist group, GreenPeace.
We will continue to keep an eye on the story.
~E
RT says:
Fire breaks out at Moscow nuclear research center
A fire broke out at a Moscow nuclear research center on Sunday, but officials say there is no risk of a radiation leak. The facility, situated in the southwest of the city, houses a 60-year old, non-operational atomic reactor. According to officials, the fire broke out in an are of the institute where there are no sources of radiation. All personnel were immediately evacuated, and there are no casualties, the statement said. Russia’s nuclear agency spokesman said there were no open flames, only smoke emanating from an area housing power cables which were not connected to any nuclear materials.
(Source)
Video from: YouTube.com
