Delivery truck catches fire at Iowa nuclear power plant

Delivery truck catches fire at Iowa nuclear power plant

2011-05-04 07:38:03 GMT+7 (ICT)

LINN COUNTY, IOWA (BNO NEWS) -- A delivery truck caught fire at the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant in Iowa on Tuesday afternoon, officials said, but there is no threat to the plant.

The incident started at around 1.30 p.m. local time when a truck carrying only the driver caught fire as it was making a delivery to the plant, which is located about eight miles (12.8 kilometers) from Cedar Rapids. The fire is being fueled by hydrogen from a tank on the truck.

The plant operator, NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, declared an Alert shortly after the fire began to monitor the incident. An Alert is the second lowest of four emergency levels for a nuclear power plant and represents a degradation in plant safety.

As a result, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has activated its Emergency Response Center at the Region 3 office in Lisle, Illinois, to monitor the incident. It said its primary concern is to make sure that the plant operator is taking appropriate actions.

Officials said the fire is in the vicinity of the utility's pump house which houses plant equipment but is outside the protected area of the plant, meaning no plant safety related equipment has been affected by the fire.

According to the NRC, the truck driver has been transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. The local fire department continues to battle the fire, which is being fueled by hydrogen from the tank.

The plant continues to operate at 100 percent power, and there is no impact to public health.

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