Workers to return to Los Alamos

Tuesday, 5 July 2011 The Los Alamos National Laboratory announced that it will reopen to employees on 6 July after being closed for more than a week during the Las Conchas fire, the largest wildfire in New Mexico history. The facility has been closed to non-essential staff since 28 June 2011. Laboratory director Charles McMillan told staff in a memo outlining the reopening plan, "Los Alamos National Laboratory appears to have escaped serious damage from the Las Conchas fire." He added, "We are grateful for the tremendous efforts of emergency responders that helped spare the lab and the town of Los Alamos." Before staff return to work, more than 2000 buildings located across the laboratory's 36-square-mile (93-square-kilometre) campus will be checked to ensure that all employee workplaces are safe. The laboratory said that it expects it to take two full days before it can fully integrate all employees back into their workplaces. More than 11,700 people work at the site.