INL curtails non-essential staff at most site facilities for Wednesday
UPDATE 8:10 P.M. 7/23/19: As a result of the Sheep Fire, operations for non-essential staff have been curtailed for all Idaho National Laboratory Site facilities except the Specific Manufacturing capability and the Radioactive Waste Management Complex for Wednesday, July 24. Employees should watch for lab communications about other potential curtailments to Site facilities.
The fire is estimated at over 90,000 acres, with no estimation of when it will be contained. Fire crews with the INL, BLM and other surrounding agencies are all working on this lighting caused fire.
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UPDATE 2:10 P.M 7/23/19:
Idaho National Laboratory held a press conference at 1 p.m Monday to reiterate that the community isn’t in danger.
INL officials said they have been preparing for fire season all year long.
Facilities on INL property that could lead to damage, if caught fire, are guarded by a fire protective barrier.
They do not have an exact estimate of how much of the fire is contained.
They believe it will be several days before the fire will be completely dissolved.
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UPDATE 12:47 P.M. 7/23/19: All non-essential employees are being evacuated at several Idaho National Laboratory site facilities.
Central Facilities Area, Advanced Test reactor Complex, Naval Reactors Facility, EBR-1, Integrated Waste Treatment Unit, Radioactive Waste Management Complex, Advanced Mixed Waste Treat Project and Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center are all being evacuated.
Naval Reactors Facility leadership is cutting operations for their day and swing-shift employees.
Gate one, the main INL site, entrance is closed to non-emergency traffic.
INL Site facilities are preparing for possible loss of commercial power and are switching to onsite backups per existing emergency procedures.
Change in wind and fire behavior since Tuesday morning led Emergency Management to evacuate all non-essential employees from potentially affected facilities as a precaution.
Employees should watch for lab communications about the other potential curtailments to facilities on the INL Site.
Fire officials are estimating the burn to be about 85,000 acres.
UPDATE 12:35 P.M. 7/23/19: The Idaho Falls Fire Department and Central Fire District are both sending resources to battle the Sheep Fire.
Idaho Falls Fire is sending a heavy and a light brush truck, according to Public Information Officer Kerry Hamon.
Central Fire is sending an engine and a brush truck with four personnel.
UPDATE 9:10 AM
The Idaho National Laboratory has evacuated “non-essential” employees at several INL facilities.
The affected facilities include the Central Facilities Area, Advanced Test Reactor Complex, EBR-1, Integrated Waste Treatment Unit and the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center.
The action was taken due to changes in wind and fire behavior since earlier Tuesday morning.
Other potential curtailments are possible as the fire grows closer to the central region of the site.
UPDATE: 8:30 AM
In its latest update, the BLM and INL now estimate the Sheep Fire has burned over 10,000 acres. Firefighters from both agencies are battling the blaze.
UPDATE 8:20 A.M.
The “Sheep” fire has now grown to around 5,000 acres and beginning to threaten some INL facilities.
The Idaho National Laboratory has curtailed operations at the Materials and Fuel Complex (MFC) and Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) Tuesday.
Essential employees were notified that non-essential MFC personnel were asked to stay home Tuesday.
There will be no shuttled service to and from the MFC today.
The site’s emergency joint information center has been opened. Public information is available at 208-526-5042.
ORIGINAL STORY: Fire crews from the BLM and INL are battling a fire near the Idaho National Laboratory Site.
The Sheep Fire is about 2,500 acres and growing.
It was started by lightning at about 6:30 P.M.
It is burning south of Highway 33 and north of Highway 20.
The fire is moving south, southwest with a majority of the active flames to the southwest.
Firefighters will continue fighting the fire through the night.
There are four engines, one dozer, three INL engines, two INL dozers on scene.
Four engines, two tactical water tenders and a helicopter have been ordered.
Additional resources have been ordered for Tuesday morning.
