The following information bulletin is in accordance with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ (CNL) ongoing commitment to voluntary public disclosure of events related to the Whiteshell Laboratories.
On the morning of Wednesday, June 06 2018, on routine inspection, CNL employees discovered a small brush fire at the company’s Whiteshell Laboratories nuclear site in Pinawa, Manitoba. The fire, which was immediately extinguished by Whiteshell Laboratories Emergency Services Firefighters, encompassed approximately 2 – 3 hectares of unaffected lands at the site. Unaffected lands are areas at the site that have never been utilized or impacted by CNL operations, and are distant from the main campus.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission was updated on the occurrence. A CNL investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, though lightning is suspected to be the source.
Located 100 km northeast of Winnipeg, Manitoba, CNL’s Whiteshell Laboratories is a former nuclear research site that operated from 1961 to 1997. The site comprises 4400 Hectares and now is undergoing decommissioning.
CNL confirms that there was no threat to workers, the public, the environment or nuclear safety related to this event.
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Contact:
Patrick Quinn
Director, Corporate Communications
CNL, 1-866-886-2325