Published Friday, Dec. 31, 2010 | 3:46 p.m.
Updated Friday, Dec. 31, 2010 | 5:50 p.m.
A fire broke out at an NV Energy power plant near Moapa on Friday afternoon.
The fire at the Reid Gardner Generating Station was quickly contained and no one was injured, officials said.
Firefighters were called at 1:37 p.m. Friday to the plant at 501 Wally Kay Way, near State Route 78 and Interstate 15, about 50 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
Even after the fire was contained, the presence of hydrogen at the plant posed a risk of explosion, county spokeswoman Jennifer Knight said.
In addition to county firefighters, the Las Vegas Hazardous Material team responded and assisted in treating the plan with chemicals.
Six employees were evacuated, Knight said.
The fire was in one of the plant’s four units, NV Energy spokeswoman Andrea Smith said. Power to customers wasn’t affected.
About 150 employees work at the coal-fueled plant, which is owned by NV Energy and the California Department of Water Resources, according to the utility’s website. When running at peak capacity, the facility can produce 557 megawatts, enough to power 335,000 households.
The Nevada Highway Patrol temporarily shut down some roads near the plant, officials said.
A total of 47 firefighters and six law enforcement officers responded to the fire.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation and officials haven’t released a damage estimate.
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