A small fire broke out in the grounds of a nuclear power station today, British Nuclear Group confirmed.
The blaze was in an electricity transformer at Oldbury power station, South Gloucestershire. The 20ft by 20ft transformer is located away from the nuclear reactor but the reactor was temporarily shut down as a precaution.
The fire was extinguished minutes after it ignited at around 9.41am by a sprinkler system in the building. Ten fire crews from Avon Fire Rescue were called to the site in Thornbury near Bristol as a precaution.
Dan Gould, spokesman for British Nuclear Group, said: "The fire took place at around 9.40am this morning. "The fire was in the non-nuclear part of the plant, there were no injuries and no release of radioactivity. "However the reactor was shut down, which is accordance with standard procedure."
A spokesman for Avon Fire Rescue said: "It should be stressed that the transformer was on the industrial side of the site and was some considerable distance from the nuclear reactor."
He added that two fire crews remained at the scene using thermal imaging equipment to ensure that there was no danger of the fire restarting. At this stage the fire is believed to have started accidentally.
Built in 1961 and situated just 15 miles north of Bristol, Oldbury is an operating twin reactor station. It is scheduled for closure in 2008.