Blaze hits German nuclear plant

The reactor was disconnected from the grid as a safety measure

A fire has broken out at a nuclear plant in northern Germany, police say.

The fire started in the coolant system of a power transforming substation near Kruemmel nuclear reactor in the town of Geesthacht, south of Hamburg.

The reactor was not affected by the blaze but was shut down as a safety precaution, a police spokesman said.

The fire was extinguished at 1700 (1500GMT) after hundreds of firefighters were rushed to the scene. There were no reports of injuries.

Police said it was unclear what had started the fire. An investigation has been launched.

"Nobody was injured, and there is no danger for the environment," Oliver Breuer, a spokesman for the Schleswig-Holstein state health ministry, told Associated Press news agency.

Vattenfall Europe is the main operator of the 1,316 MW reactor.

The plant provides 30% of the state's electricity supply, the company said.

In 2001, Germany announced plans to close all of its nuclear power plants by 2021.