At around 12:00 p.m., a fire broke out in a drum of depleted uranium turnings (2%) at a facility specialised in the treatment of potentially ionised industrial waste. The 55-kg drum was being handled at the time. Another fire broke out on a pile of uranium turnings spread on the ground (1/2 m³). Three employees in the room suffered external contamination and were subsequently treated at the infirmary of a neighbouring nuclear power plant. The 30 people present were evacuated. The emergency services of the neighbouring nuclear power plant attacked the fire with a powder. The room was ventilated by its ventilation system. Two domes were placed over the fire. The firefighters left at 5:00 p.m. The operator monitored the facility.

The inspection authorities for classified facilities went to the site. They found that the fire started while a drum of depleted uranium turnings was being submerged under water. This operation was being carried after a fire had occurred 15 days earlier (ARIA 50445) on the same type of drum. After that first fire, it was discovered that of the 103 drums of depleted uranium turnings stored at the facility, 26 were not stored under water as required by the operator’s procedures. The prefect issued an emergency order requiring the operator to:

• suspend all handling of drums of uranium turnings not stored under water;
• continuously monitor the rooms where drums of uranium turnings are not stored under water;
• have an extinguishing agent on hand, similar to the one used by the neighbouring nuclear power plant;
• develop a procedure for safely dealing with drums of uranium turnings not stored under water;
• develop a procedure for ensuring that all drums containing uranium turnings are filled with water.