Update: ‘Concern with a vehicle’ led to lockdown at Texas nuclear weapons facility

The Pantex nuclear weapons plant tweeted Tuesday afternoon that it was experiencing an “operational emergency” but didn’t immediately release additional information.

About an hour later, the plant tweeted that the situation ended without incident and the plant thanked the Carson County sheriff and the Amarillo Police Department for their help.

Just before 3:45 p.m., a public affairs manager for Pantex sent the Star-Telegram a statement that said a routine inspection at the facility identified a potential concern with a vehicle in the John C. Drummond Center administrative building parking lot.

“As a precaution, all employees were sheltered in place,” Steven Wyatt said. “The Carson County Sheriff’s Office and Amarillo Police Department responded, and the vehicle was inspected for any prohibited items. After searching the vehicle, it was determined there were no prohibited items or explosives, and the emergency event was resolved without incident.”

In late 2015, 900 workers picketed the plant in the Texas Panhandle, saying working conditions were sickening them.

This story was originally published October 23, 2018 at 1:23 PM.