Russian nuclear-powered submarine catches fire

A Russian atomic-powered submarine docked near the eastern port of Vladivostok has caught fire, but there have been no reports of radiation leak, deaths or injuries so far.

A billow of black smoke hailed from the Russian submarine Tomsk after it caught fire for nearly five hours on Monday at the Zvezda shipyard in Bolshoy Kamen – roughly 25 kilometers (15 miles) away from Vladivostok on the Sea of Japan.

The submarine is fitted with two nuclear reactors, though “there is no threat of radioactive contamination,” said an unidentified official with Russia’s Pacific Fleet.

The official added that there were no casualties and both reactors were shut off and in “safe condition” when the fire broke out. There were also no weapons aboard the ship, which normally carries up to 24 guided missiles.

The fire started after a rubber seal, cables and paint caught fire during repairs.

This is the second fire witnessed by Russian Navy onboard a nuclear-powered submarine in less than two years.

In December 2011, a blaze engulfed the atomic-powered Yekaterinburg at a shipyard in northwestern Russia, with reports that there had been nuclear missiles on board.

Russia’s Northern Fleet has had a series of small accidents in addition to a deadly disaster in August 2000, when 118 seamen died onboard the Kursk nuclear submarine when it caught fire and exploded while at sea.