SRS weapons complex scare debunked after lockdown

COLUMBIA, SC — Federal authorities say a possible security incident at the Savannah River Site nuclear weapons complex has been resolved and the area returned to normal activities.

Officials locked down SRS at mid-afternoon after electronic scans and checks by bomb-sniffing dogs indicated the possibility that explosive residue was on a vendor’s truck. But shortly before 6 p.m., the site released a statement saying no residue had been confirmed.

“An off site law enforcement investigation has found no explosive residue or device on the truck that was inspected this afternoon at the Savannah River Site,’’ the statement said. “An all clear was given and the site returned to normal activities at 5:52 p.m.’’

Law enforcement agencies from South Carolina and Georgia had been called into help Centerra, the site security contractor.

Barbara Smoak, a spokeswoman for site contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, said the issue was investigated near the center of SRS in a spot called the H area.

SRS is a 310-square-mile nuclear weapons complex mostly in Aiken and Barnwell counties near the Georgia border. It was a key part of the federal government’s effort to make nuclear weapons during the Cold War. The site still contains material that could be used to make atomic weapons. It is secured and protected by its own police force.

This story was originally published August 17, 2015 at 5:04 PM.