A transformer failure at a nuclear power station in New York state on Saturday evening triggered a fire that forced the facility to shut down, the plant operator said.
The fire in Unit 3, a non-nuclear section of the Indian Point plant in Buchanan, reportedly sent billowing clouds of smoke into the air.
'Indian Point safely shut down as designed following a failure of electrical transformer,” the plant operator said on Twitter. “No threat to public health or safety.'
There were no reports of injuries and the cause of the blaze was not immediately identified.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo received a briefing at the scene of the incident, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of New York City.
'These situations we take very seriously,” Cuomo said, quoted by broadcaster CNN. “This is a nuclear-powered plant, it's nothing to be trifled with.”
The plant produces about 25 percent of New York City and Westchester County’s electricity, according to the operator’s website.
By Mustafa Caglayan
Anadolu Agency
enerji@aa.com.tr