Soon the fire had raged through the ventilation system, destroying the filters designed to keep particles of plutonium and other radioactive material inside the building. The fire burned for more than 13 hours. Some scientists estimate that 1.8 ounces to 1.1 pounds of plutonium were released into the surrounding area.
Actual figures are unknown, since no monitoring was possible during the blaze.
In March of this year the Department of Energy announced it s plan to do prescribed burning in the area known as the buffer zone surrounding Rocky Flats, sparking an uprising of public concern. The buffer zone is an area of tallgrass prairie, Colorado s most rare ecosystem. A test burn was done on a 50-acre sample of the northwestern portion of the prairie, but plans to burn this spring were called off because the grass was to green to burn. John Rampe, head of the DOE s environment and infrastructure division, says there is little or no contamination in the area. But independent experts say otherwise.