The blaze occurred in an air conditioning unit
Generic image of the Hinkley Point C site(Image: Office for Nuclear Regulation)
A fire broke out in an office block on the construction site of the Hinkley Point C (HPC) nuclear power station in the early hours of Friday (January 2). The blaze occurred in an air conditioning unit at the facility shortly after 3.30am.
Nether Stowey Fire Station, whose crews responded to the incident, wrote on Facebook: “Crews were mobilised to alarms sounding and reports of smoke in an office block on the Hinkley Point C site.
“Crews arrived and liaised with the HPC FRS who were already in attendance and confirmed there had been a fire in an air conditioning unit. The fire had been extinguished and crews proceeded to check the building for further signs of fire using breathing apparatus.
“The building was then ventilated using positive pressure fans before the incident was left in the care of HPC FRS and DSFRS (Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service) crews returned home station.”
Once complete, Hinkley Point C’s twin nuclear reactors are expected to provide low-carbon electricity to more than six million homes across the UK, playing a vital role in the country’s future energy security. The first reactor is scheduled to become operational by the end of the decade, according to principal owner EDF Energy.
The project has had something of a troubled life to-date. Three companies are being prosecuted over the death of worker Jason Waring in a construction incident at the site in 2022.
In July 2025, workers went on a ‘wildcat strike’ over allegations of bullying by a supervisor. The supervisor alleged to be behind the bullying was later removed from the site pending an investigation, ending the strike.
And just last month it emerged that a fire enforcement notice has been served on a Hinkley Point C contractor after “significant fire safety shortfalls” were identified.