Fire at Ringhals Nuclear Plant

Roofers working at Sweden’s Ringhals nuclear power plant accidently set fire to roofing materials at a turbine hall, but no reactors were threatened by the incident.

On July 11, 2008, a fire broke out on the roof of a turbine hall at Sweden’s Ringhals nuclear power plant on the county’s west coast. The blaze started when roofers accidently set fire to roofing materials with gas-fueled torches. The fire on the roof of the Ringhals-2 turbine hall was quickly extinguished by the facility’s internal fire brigade.

Evacuations were not necessary and no reactors were in danger. The closest reactor was in a neighboring building, but is protected by a meter-thick cement wall.

The plant’s automatic alarm was triggered after smoke entered the turbine facility’s ventilation system and set off external alarms.

The Ringhals Plant is the largest nuclear facility in the Nordic region and its four reactors produce approximately 20% of all Sweden’s electricity.

While this incident truly posed no threat of a nuclear disaster, it is a clear reminder that accidents can occur at atomic power plants. These potential accidents can occur not only due to design flaws or operator error, but also from outside sources. These outside factors are another reason why I am concerned about the continued use of nuclear power.

References

“Fire at nuclear power plant.” News Limited. July 11, 2008.

“UPDATE 1-Fire at Swedish nuclear plant, reactor safe.” Reuters. July 11, 2008.