The fire that broke out at Reftinskaya power station yesterday had been caused by the heat generator explosion. According to the spokesperson for the Department of Emergencies in Sverdlovsk Region, the explosion resulted in some oil spill, and this oil caught fire, with the affected area coming to 800 square meters. An ad hoc committee is now investigating the reasons why the heat generator exploded.

The fire started at 4.55 AM and was classed as the third-degree one. Thirty teams of firefighters had to come to the site to put it out.

The construction of Reftinskaya power station, Sverdlovsk Region, started in 1968, with the first piece of equipment put into operation in 1970. The station reached the capacity of 1.8 gigawatt in 1974. The electric power of the station is estimated at 3.800 megawatt. The station has six 300-megawatt units and four 500-megawatt ones and belongs to the Fifth Power Generating Company (OGK-5).