Smoke seen rising from the Indian Point Energy Center on Saturday. (Photo: Ricky Flores/AP)
May 10, 2015
In what witnesses described as a huge explosion, a transformer at the Indian Point nuclear power plant just north of New York City caught on fire Saturday, billowing smoke and prompting the operator to shut down the impacted unit.
Onlookers documented the explosion on Twitter:
\u201chttps://t.co/pABGZZN50F\u201d— Gustavus Gricius (@Gustavus Gricius) 1431209192
\u201cAt a wedding at #monteverde at old stone and just watched an explosion happen at #indianpoint nuclear power plant. Should I be concerned?\u201d— C. (@C.) 1431208419
\u201cLarge transformer explosion at Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant. Several Westchester County units on scene operating\u201d— RocklandFires (@RocklandFires) 1431210255
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that, in the aftermath of the blaze, firefighters extinguished the flames with a "special kind of foam." The governor voiced concern about the environmental implications of this substance and oil leaks from transformer: "There is a lot of foam and a lot of oil and now we are worried about that leaking in to the Hudson River."
Operator Entergy corporation claimed on Twitter Saturday evening that the facility is "safe, secure, and stable" following the "unusual event" but provided no information about the cause of the explosion.
The incident was the second shutdown in just three days. "Unit 3 had been shut down Thursday morning for an unrelated issue, a water leak on the non-nuclear side of the plant," the Associated Press reports.
The clean water advocacy organization Riverkeeper announced on Twitter that it is investigating the incident:
\u201cSecond unplanned shutdown at \n#IndianPoint in 3 days, following transformer fire. Riverkeeper patrol boat on scene. Check back for updates.\u201d— Riverkeeper (@Riverkeeper) 1431265015
Located in Westchester County, the facility provides electricity for New York City and surrounding suburbs. Residents have repeatedly raised concerns about the safety of the plant, including the storage of dangerous nuclear waste, and some have called for the facility to be shuttered for good.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
In what witnesses described as a huge explosion, a transformer at the Indian Point nuclear power plant just north of New York City caught on fire Saturday, billowing smoke and prompting the operator to shut down the impacted unit.
Onlookers documented the explosion on Twitter:
\u201chttps://t.co/pABGZZN50F\u201d— Gustavus Gricius (@Gustavus Gricius) 1431209192
\u201cAt a wedding at #monteverde at old stone and just watched an explosion happen at #indianpoint nuclear power plant. Should I be concerned?\u201d— C. (@C.) 1431208419
\u201cLarge transformer explosion at Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant. Several Westchester County units on scene operating\u201d— RocklandFires (@RocklandFires) 1431210255
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that, in the aftermath of the blaze, firefighters extinguished the flames with a "special kind of foam." The governor voiced concern about the environmental implications of this substance and oil leaks from transformer: "There is a lot of foam and a lot of oil and now we are worried about that leaking in to the Hudson River."
Operator Entergy corporation claimed on Twitter Saturday evening that the facility is "safe, secure, and stable" following the "unusual event" but provided no information about the cause of the explosion.
The incident was the second shutdown in just three days. "Unit 3 had been shut down Thursday morning for an unrelated issue, a water leak on the non-nuclear side of the plant," the Associated Press reports.
The clean water advocacy organization Riverkeeper announced on Twitter that it is investigating the incident:
\u201cSecond unplanned shutdown at \n#IndianPoint in 3 days, following transformer fire. Riverkeeper patrol boat on scene. Check back for updates.\u201d— Riverkeeper (@Riverkeeper) 1431265015
Located in Westchester County, the facility provides electricity for New York City and surrounding suburbs. Residents have repeatedly raised concerns about the safety of the plant, including the storage of dangerous nuclear waste, and some have called for the facility to be shuttered for good.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
In what witnesses described as a huge explosion, a transformer at the Indian Point nuclear power plant just north of New York City caught on fire Saturday, billowing smoke and prompting the operator to shut down the impacted unit.
Onlookers documented the explosion on Twitter:
\u201chttps://t.co/pABGZZN50F\u201d— Gustavus Gricius (@Gustavus Gricius) 1431209192
\u201cAt a wedding at #monteverde at old stone and just watched an explosion happen at #indianpoint nuclear power plant. Should I be concerned?\u201d— C. (@C.) 1431208419
\u201cLarge transformer explosion at Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant. Several Westchester County units on scene operating\u201d— RocklandFires (@RocklandFires) 1431210255
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that, in the aftermath of the blaze, firefighters extinguished the flames with a "special kind of foam." The governor voiced concern about the environmental implications of this substance and oil leaks from transformer: "There is a lot of foam and a lot of oil and now we are worried about that leaking in to the Hudson River."
Operator Entergy corporation claimed on Twitter Saturday evening that the facility is "safe, secure, and stable" following the "unusual event" but provided no information about the cause of the explosion.
The incident was the second shutdown in just three days. "Unit 3 had been shut down Thursday morning for an unrelated issue, a water leak on the non-nuclear side of the plant," the Associated Press reports.
The clean water advocacy organization Riverkeeper announced on Twitter that it is investigating the incident:
\u201cSecond unplanned shutdown at \n#IndianPoint in 3 days, following transformer fire. Riverkeeper patrol boat on scene. Check back for updates.\u201d— Riverkeeper (@Riverkeeper) 1431265015
Located in Westchester County, the facility provides electricity for New York City and surrounding suburbs. Residents have repeatedly raised concerns about the safety of the plant, including the storage of dangerous nuclear waste, and some have called for the facility to be shuttered for good.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.