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| Fire rips through Didcot B Power Station | Fire rips through Didcot B Power Station |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Scores of fire-fighters were battling to bring a blaze under control last night at the Didcot B Power Station, as fire ripped through one of its cooling towers. | Scores of fire-fighters were battling to bring a blaze under control last night at the Didcot B Power Station, as fire ripped through one of its cooling towers. |
| More than 25 fire engines and other specialist vehicles rushed to the power station in Oxfordshire on Sunday night as the orange flames from the fire stretched into the night’s sky. | More than 25 fire engines and other specialist vehicles rushed to the power station in Oxfordshire on Sunday night as the orange flames from the fire stretched into the night’s sky. |
| Thames Valley Police South and Vale, neighbouring fire services and the National Police Air Service were also called in to help with the blaze, which was eventually brought under control. | Thames Valley Police South and Vale, neighbouring fire services and the National Police Air Service were also called in to help with the blaze, which was eventually brought under control. |
| The power station’s owners said no one was injured in the fire. | The power station’s owners said no one was injured in the fire. |
| Fire crews spray water at the scene of the fire The power station has been shut down after last night’s blaze, but Energy Secretary Ed Davey said he has been “reassured” by National Grid that there is “no risk” to people’s energy supplies. | Fire crews spray water at the scene of the fire The power station has been shut down after last night’s blaze, but Energy Secretary Ed Davey said he has been “reassured” by National Grid that there is “no risk” to people’s energy supplies. |
| Didcot B Power Station generates up to 1,360 MWe of electricity, creating enough electricity to power a million homes. | Didcot B Power Station generates up to 1,360 MWe of electricity, creating enough electricity to power a million homes. |
| It opened in 1997 as is one of a new generation of highly efficient, natural gas powered stations that uses the latest generating technology to produce electricity. “My priority is to understand the cause of the fire and get the affected unit back generating electricity as soon as it's safe to do so,” he said. | |
| Chief fire officer of the Oxfordshire Fire Service Dave Etheridge said the service works closely with the management of Didcot B’s site and together carry out safety exercises regularly to prepare for any serious incidents. | Chief fire officer of the Oxfordshire Fire Service Dave Etheridge said the service works closely with the management of Didcot B’s site and together carry out safety exercises regularly to prepare for any serious incidents. |
| “What they did very quickly was to shut down the site so it stops supplying electricity to National Grid,” he told Sky News. | “What they did very quickly was to shut down the site so it stops supplying electricity to National Grid,” he told Sky News. |
| The power station’s owner, RWE npower, said that no one was injured during the fire, but that it was “too early to say” how much damage had been caused by the blaze. | The power station’s owner, RWE npower, said that no one was injured during the fire, but that it was “too early to say” how much damage had been caused by the blaze. |
| It is unclear how the fire started, but officials have ruled out arson or terrorism. | It is unclear how the fire started, but officials have ruled out arson or terrorism. |
| Additional reporting by PA | Additional reporting by PA |