Technical defect confirmed as cause of fire
05.05.2026 |
After the fire that occurred in the area of the high-voltage electrical power supply system of the UNILAC linear accelerator at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in early February 2026, the on-site investigation into the cause of the fire has now been completed. Over the past few weeks, the Hessian State Criminal Police Office conducted the relevant investigations and determined that a probably technical defect within a control cabinet was the cause of the fire. This confirms the initial assumption regarding the cause of the fire.
As part of the police investigations, the authorities obtained a comprehensive overview of the fire's location and the adjacent areas. Preparatory measures, including the removal of roof sections and building components as well as damaged technical equipment, were carried out in accordance with police requirements and served to ensure a complete assessment of the situation.
Following the completion of the police investigation on site, cleanup and repair work can now begin at the site of the fire and on the technical equipment there. In the adjacent areas also affected by the fire, cleaning and restoration work was already carried out shortly after the incident. Most of the premises are now available for use by employees again.
Restoring the damaged GSI infrastructure is a top priority in order to resume operations at the GSI facilities in a quick and reliable fashion. However, given the extent of the damage, full restoration will take a considerable amount of time. Alternative technical solutions are therefore currently in development at GSI to ensure the continued operation of scientific research at GSI and the stepwise commissioning of FAIR.
The fire was confined to the UNILAC high-voltage power supply area, so other parts of the GSI campus remained undamaged, including the PHELIX high-power laser and the CRYRING storage ring. Fortunately, experiments at PHELIX can thus continue as planned. Research operations at CRYRING are also scheduled to resume regularly in September 2026 with its scientific program.
The ongoing installation and commissioning work at the FAIR construction site for the technical building systems and the accelerator facilities is proceeding as scheduled. GSI is currently developing alternative technical solutions for the future phase that requires the GSI facility as an injector for FAIR. (JL)
