Gas Turbine Catches Fire at Shoreham National Grid Plant

A gas turbine at a Shoreham National Grid facility caught fire on Tuesday before being brought under control by the Wading River Fire Department.

The likely "small oil fire" ignited at 12:15 p.m, according to an official from National Grid. The gas turbine was located on the southeast corner of the property, opposite the site of the decommissioned Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant, which was fully shuttered after public backlash against the facility in 1994.

National Grid spokesperson Wendy Ladd said the fire was extinguished at 12:51 p.m., and did not result in any injuries or major damage.

The turbine, a "peaking turbine" unit, is normally used on very hot days, when the power authority's system is taxed, to make up for the increased load. It was not related to National Grid's natural gas operations, Ladd said.

She added that oil fires in the gas turbines are not a common occurrence, saying it was "pretty rare" to have one happen.

Ladd said the cause of the fire is under investigation. The Wading River Fire Department was unable to release information about the fire at the time of publication.