(04/06/07) BUCHANAN - Firefighters responded quickly to a transformer fire outside the Indian Point nuclear power plant Friday morning.

The incident occurred outside Indian Point 3 at a transformer yard. Residents reported hearing an explosion and seeing smoke coming from the area of the plant. Firefighters from the Indian Point Fire Department handled the situation, and automatic fire suppression equipment quickly extinguished the flames. Indian Point 3 was automatically taken offline due to the fire.

Representatives from the Indian Point plant say there is no public health risk. Due to the shutdown of Indian Point 3, an "unusual event" was declared. That's the lowest of four emergency alerts for the plant. No one was hurt as a result of the incident.