TOKYO: A fire broke out at a nuclear power plant in northern Japan on Thursday, injuring one worker but causing no radiation leak, the operator said.

Firefighters put out the fire about an hour after white smoke was spotted coming out of the reactor, which was already shut for a regular check-up, Tohoku Electric Power said.

"One worker sustained minor burns but was not exposed to radiation," a company spokesman said, adding there was no leak to the outside environment either.

The plant is located in Onagawa town, some 350 kilometres (220 miles) north of Tokyo. The plant has two other reactors, which are operating normally.

The operator has yet to determine the cause of the fire.

Japan, which has few natural resources, relies on nuclear power for nearly one-third of its energy needs, but a series of accidents have alarmed the public.

Last year, an earthquake shut down the world's biggest nuclear plant at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant northwest of Tokyo, causing a fire and a small radiation leak.


- AFP/so