A rapidly expanding heathland fire in Suffolk has forced evacuations and raised concerns that smoke could affect operations at Britain’s youngest functioning nuclear power station, though officials say the facility is not currently endangered.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Operators of the Sizewell B nuclear power station are monitoring a fast-growing wildfire burning about three miles away on England’s Suffolk coast as forecasters warn changing winds could direct smoke toward the facility.
The fire on Dunwich Heath expanded roughly tenfold Thursday morning, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of residents and the declaration of a major incident. Sizewell B, one of the United Kingdom’s few remaining operational nuclear plants, began returning to service this month following a two-month shutdown for refueling.
French energy company EDF, which owns the station, said the blaze was not affecting operations and that smoke and flames were being driven toward the sea rather than toward the nuclear site.
“The fire at Dunwich Heath is not currently affecting operations at Sizewell B power station but we are continuing to monitor the situation — we are not on high alert,” EDF said.
Forecasts indicated that winds could change direction and strengthen later Thursday, potentially intensifying the fire and carrying smoke inland toward Sizewell, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Heavy smoke entering the plant’s air systems could clog filters and reduce cooling for ancillary equipment used to support and control the water-cooled reactor. Such a development would not directly threaten the reactor but could require operators to temporarily halt electricity generation.
A nuclear energy specialist told The Times that the station’s structures and operating systems are more resistant to smoke than the employees working inside. Any shutdown would be more likely to result from staff evacuations caused by hazardous air than a failure of the plant’s systems, the expert said.
Officials said there is no substantial danger of the flames reaching the nuclear station because the remains of the River Minsmere lie between Dunwich Heath and the Sizewell complex.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the government was closely following what he described as a “very serious incident” and pledged support for Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service.
Burnham said assistance could include crews from neighboring fire departments, “any other resources that need to be brought to bear” and assurances that “all of the support needed will be there.”
The head of Suffolk’s fire service said Thursday that investigators had not yet determined the cause of the blaze. He urged residents to comply with warnings against using disposable barbecues during the dry conditions, including on private property.
Fire officials said crews could remain at the scene for several days.
Government research has concluded that most wildfires are caused by human activity, either through negligence or deliberate arson, rather than occurring naturally.
The Sizewell nuclear complex was built near the historic Suffolk fishing village of the same name. Sizewell A, one of Britain’s earliest nuclear stations, generated electricity until 2006 and is undergoing a lengthy decommissioning process that could continue for decades before its remaining structures are demolished.
Sizewell B began operating in the 1990s and is the youngest nuclear power station currently generating electricity in Britain. Although it had been scheduled to close within the coming years, a life-extension plan is expected to allow the facility to operate until 2055.
Sizewell C is under construction next to the two older plants. The new station is expected to generate considerably more electricity than earlier generations of British nuclear facilities, enter service during the mid-2030s and remain operational for approximately 60 years.
Dunwich is best known for the medieval town gradually lost to coastal erosion over several centuries. Believed to have once served as the capital of an Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the settlement has been called “Britain’s Atlantis”.
Dunwich remained a legal and electoral entity even after much of the town had disappeared beneath the sea. It later became one of Britain’s best-known “rotten boroughs,” an electoral district with almost no voters in which parliamentary representation could be obtained through questionable political arrangements.
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