LAS VEGAS (AP) — Seeping rainwater from unusually heavy storms got into corroded barrels at a long-closed radioactive waste dump and caused an explosion last month about 110 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
That's according Nevada's top fire investigator.
Nevada Fire Marshal Peter Mulvihill says that radioactivity wasn't detected after the Oct. 18 blast and fire, and no injuries were reported.
Mulvihill says 55-gallon drums that were blown beyond the facility fence were returned to the crater and reburied, and the damaged area was covered with a waterproof chemical membrane almost 1 inch thick.
A previous statement from the Nye County sheriff said the site near Beatty had been covered with a heavy waterproof tarp.
Now, Mulvihill says officials are determining a long-term plan to manage the site.
It's owned by the state of Nevada.