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Massive blaze burns through former uranium site in US — Idaho Official: There may be ‘minor’ increase in radioactivity levels — No firefighting going on as more contaminated areas threatened (VIDEO)

Published: September 22nd, 2012 at 5:12 am ET
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Emphasis Added

Title: Rain possibly on way as Mustang Complex burns…
Source: The Missoulian
Author: MARTIN KIDSTON
Date: Sept. 21, 2012 11:00p ET

[... Regarding] the massive Mustang Complex on the Idaho-Montana border [...] fire information officer Steve Berube [said "...] there’s no active firefighting going on there right now.”

The fire has grown in size for two months and is among the nation’s largest active fires.

[...]

“Our meteorologist is saying that in the long run, we might be having rain coming in Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,” Berube said. “That could help a lot.”

[...]

The lack of precipitation and low humidity levels have led to strong fire growth.

[...]

Title: Radiation threat is latest fire concern
Source: Post Register (Idaho Falls)
Author: Laura Zuckerman
Date: Sept 21, 2012

State environmental officials began taking air samples near North Fork on Thursday after learning that sites contaminated by radiation either were burned over or still threatened by the Mustang Complex fire.

[...]

Earlier this week, residents near North Fork raised concerns about the sites contaminated by uranium or thorium

[...]

Cindy Hallen, who lives just miles from a former uranium mine that underwent an EPA cleanup, said she is running an air purifier and staying indoors.

“I don’t want to be sounding alarms, but we’re dealing with radioactive materials,” she said.

[...]

The ‘Response’

  • Salmon-Challis National Forest Supervisor Frank Guzman did not return a telephone call Thursday seeking comment.
  • A Forest Service spokeswoman said she was unable to provide information on the radiological deposits or their status.
  • Air-quality specialists at Idaho National Laboratory said the risk of radiation exposure from wildfires burning over previously contaminated soils is low because the soil itself doesn’t burn [See Below]. As a result, the radiation cannot escape into the air.
  • Erick Neher, regional administrator of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, said the potential health threat is believed to be minimal. A more significant and known risk to area residents, Neher said, is the dense smoke [...] “There may be some minor increase in background levels of radioactivity –which we’re exposed to every day — but that is nothing compared to fine particulates from smoke,” he said.

Perhaps the air-quality specialists at Idaho National Laboratory’ should view this report by EXSKF: New “Decon” Experiment in Iitate-Mura: Burn Radioactive Soil

Title: Potential radiation release worries North Fork residents
Source: Local News 8
Date: Sept 21, 2012

Some North Fork, Idaho residents have expressed concern about the potential release of radioactive contaminants into the air from abandoned mines in the Salmon River corridor as a result of the Mustang Complex forest fire.  According to fire managers, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality considers that risk to be low.

[...]

Evacuation orders in the Mustang wildfire complex have been upgraded from Level 2 to Level 1 beginning at Noon Friday.

[...]

The Mustang complex is now estimated at 332,301 acres and is 20 percent contained.

[...]

Title: Helicopters return to fighting Sawtooth, Mustang Complex wildfires
Source: The Missoulian
Author: ROB CHANEY
Date: Sept 18, 2012

[...]

Smoke of another sort was the concern at the 327,017-acre Mustang Complex fire just south of the Montana border in Idaho. Fire officials recently learned flames reached a closed uranium mine near the community of North Fork, which raised fears of radioactive hazards in addition to flames.

[...]

“The EPA declared that site clear in June of 2008,” [North Fork assistant district ranger Ingrid Drieling] said Tuesday. “They removed 25 tons of hazardous material, 95 cubic yards of radioactive material and 2 cubic yards of mixed material.”

The mine produced some uranium and thorium (another radioactive element) during its active periods in the late 1950s and late 1970s, Drieling said. A major fire shift on Sept. 11 and 12 burned one of the mine area buildings on private land, but did not affect any material caps, she said.

Although several other historic mines in the Salmon River corridor of the Mustang Complex also showed traces of background radioactivity, Drieling said none of them were active uranium or thorium mines. Rather, they produced silver, gold, copper and cobalt.

[...]

Title: Idaho Wildfire: Radiation Raises Slight Concern As Blaze Hits Former Uranium, Gold Mines
Source: Reuters
Author: Laura Zuckerman
Date: Sept 21, 2012

A wildfire in east-central Idaho has burned through three former mining sites containing traces of radioactive thorium and uranium and was advancing a fourth such site on Thursday

[...]

One area of concern is a defunct uranium mine and milling operation 5 miles (8 km) west of North Fork

[...]

No decontamination of buildings at that site was ever performed, and at least one of those buildings burned in the fire, according to officials

Flames also swept two abandoned gold mines about 20 miles west of North Fork, where surface radiation, presumably from natural uranium and thorium deposits in the ground, has been measured at several times normal background levels, officials said.

[...]

Watch video of the Mustang fire here

Published: September 22nd, 2012 at 5:12 am ET
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September 22nd, 2012 | Category: Audio/Video Clips, US
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