Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
10/23/2015
Local officials still do not know what caused the fire that ignited earlier this week at the now-shuttered low-level waste disposal facility near Beatty, Nev. The fire, near US Ecology’s hazardous waste treatment facility, burned overnight Sunday into Monday before being extinguished. Following a series of radiological tests and air monitoring, state officials determined the fire did not cause any radiation release to the local population. “This was a serious incident, and one that could only be solved through collaboration between state, local, and federal partners,” said Caleb Cage, chief of the Nevada Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management, said in a press release. “We are pleased with how efficiently and effectively our partners deployed from throughout the state to respond to this significant event, and we look forward to working with all parties on the causal investigation and mitigation measures going forward.”
The site accepted low-level waste for 30 years before closing in 1993. The state, through the Department of Health and Human Services, now maintains oversight and upkeep of the property. The fire occurred amid heavy rains that drenched the area on Sunday, causing a wave of flash-flood warnings across local highways. Schools and roads were closed in response to both events, according to the release, and state and local agencies were actively working to reinstate services to all of Nevada’s residents and visitors in the area. US Ecology did not return calls for comment this week.
