Smoke confirmed at Japan’s Hamaoka nuclear plant

Fire alarms went off at the Hamaoka nuclear plant in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, on August 17, and the operator confirmed smoke within a building, Report informs referring to Kyodo News.

No leakage of radioactive material outside the plant has been confirmed, said the operator, Chubu Electric Power Co., after the incident at around 5:15 a.m. at the building that houses a turbine of the plant’s No. 5 reactor.

The utility alerted a local fire station after a worker confirmed smoke. However, an on-site inspection conducted by the fire authorities led to the conclusion it was not a case of fire, the company said.

The alarms went off on the second and third floors of the four-story building with two underground levels, according to the utility.