A wildfire in Ocean County, New Jersey, has officials closely monitoring the decommissioned Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Lacey Township.
The Jones Road Forest Fire, advancing near the plant that still houses spent fuel, has led to evacuations and triggered round-the-clock oversight.
The Context
The proximity of a raging wildfire to a nuclear-related site, albeit decommissioned, raises safety and infrastructure concerns. Officials have said that even if a fire did reach where spent nuclear fuel is stored, there would be no danger.
The fire has already prompted the closure of some major highways and the evacuation of several thousand people.
What To Know
The wildfire, which has scorched over 8,500 acres, was only 10 percent contained as of Wednesday morning and evacuation orders had displaced approximately 3,000 residents, according to fire officials and local reports.
Authorities reported that major highways, including portions of Route 9 and the Garden State Parkway, were closed due to the fire in Ocean County.
The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station is being monitored round the clock by security personnel, Patrick O’Brien, a spokesperson for Holtec, the company that owns the property, told NJ Advance Media.
The site was closed in 2018 but still contains “spent fuel.”
“Spent fuel is still on-site, as with every nuclear plant in the country, but it is in harden(ed) cask systems that are built to withstand these types of extreme scenarios, including fire,” O’Brien said.
He said that on Tuesday embers from the fire were carried by the wind onto a small patch of grass located on the power plant’s property, north of its buildings and structures.
The fire near the nuclear facility was “completely and safely extinguished,” according to O’Brien.
According to O’Brien and Shawn M. LaTourette, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, even if flames were to reach the area where spent nuclear fuel is stored in secure casks, there would be no danger.
O’Brien emphasized that all buildings at the Oyster Creek site are built to endure fires, while Mr. LaTourette added, “There is no threat to the security of the material in cask storage. Dry cask systems are engineered to withstand temperatures far beyond those of a wildfire.”
Local police have also warned residents about potential prolonged outages as utilities pre-emptively cut power to minimize risks.
According to PowerOutage.us, a service that tracks disruptions, some 25,500 customers were without power across the state as of Wednesday morning.
What People Are Saying
Patrick O’Brien, a spokesman for Holtec, said: “Oyster Creek Security Personnel are keeping careful round-the-clock watch on all of the site property to ensure protection from the current forest fire in Waretown.”
Lacey Township Police Department said on Facebook, Tuesday: “The evacuation orders will remain in effect throughout the night. Route 9 will remain closed for the foreseeable future as fire crews continue to work in that area. Traffic will be diverted through Route 539….
“Power is expected to remain out with no timetable for return.”
Barnegat Police Department said on Facebook, Tuesday: “We continue to monitor progress from the command post. The fire has generally moved out of our area and firefighters are working diligently to extinguish any remaining pockets.
“The town remains without power and we ask that everyone please be patient and use extra caution throughout the night and as we head out in the morning.”
What Happens Next
An update on the situation from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service is expected at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
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