Staff flee nuclear power station fire

Source: PA | Published: Wednesday May 3, 4:54 AM

LONDON, May 2 - One hundred and fifty workers were moved from a British nuclear power station after a fire broke out today.

The electrical blaze is believed to have been caused by a spark at British Nuclear Fuels' Trawsfynydd Magnox plant near Dolgellau, north Wales.

A spokesman for BNFL said the fire was not serious and there were no radioactive implications.

Firefighters were called to the power station, which is in the process of being decommissioned.

"As a routine procedure we dispatched five fire engines but we pinpointed the blaze in a cable race within the basement area and had it quickly under control," a North Wales fire brigade spokesman said.

The evacuation was a 'routine precaution' and no members of the public were ever in any danger, he added.

"This was classed as an on-site incident rather than a nuclear incident."

A spokesman for BNFL said: "Workmen were carrying out work on a cable duct between the two reactor halls, which are being decommissioned.

"A stray spark got loose and ended up coming into contact with one of the cables.

"There was some thick black smoke but it was not a serious fire and the fire brigade was called out as a standard procedure.

"There were no casualties and no radioactive material was involved."

http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/0005/03/A38494-2000May3.shtml

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), May 02, 2000