Nuclear power plant in New York 'stable' after fire

A nuclear power reactor in upstate New York was shut down on after a transformer fire, but officials said the Indian Point plant was stable and there was no threat to residents nearby, Reuters news agency reports.

People in the area reported an explosion and smoke coming from the plant but the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said the fire had been quickly extinguished.

Entergy Corporation, which runs the facility, also tweeted that the "site was safe and secure."

The transformer fire, which triggered the closure of the plant's Unit 3 reactor, was extinguished with no damage to the unit, an Entergy spokesman said.

"These events happen occasionally. They are not unheard of and the plant responded as designed," NRC spokesman Eliot Brenner said in a statement.

The NRC designated the incident an "unusual event," which is the lowest of four categories the agency gives to potential safety or security threats at nuclear plants.