Fire contained at Oconee Nuclear Station, USA

A nuclear power station in South Carolina issued an alert after a fire caused an equipment failure Sunday, but it poses no danger to the public, Duke Energy said.

A transformer caught fire at the Duke Energy-operated Oconee Nuclear Station, located near Seneca in South Carolina's mountainous northwest corner.

The company initially labeled the incident an "unusual event," the lowest of four nuclear emergency classifications. The incident was upgraded to an "alert" after the fire damaged a power line that resulted in an equipment malfunction, Duke Energy said.

Fire and emergency management units at the power plant are investigating the exact cause of the fire.