Posted: Mar 23, 2011 10:48 pm
TEPCO: Black smoke rises from No.3 reactor
The Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, says black smoke was seen rising from the No.3 reactor building at the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant at around 4:20 PM on Wednesday.
TEPCO told reporters that it received a report 1 hour later that the smoke had gradually cleared.
The company said that the level of radiation near the main gate of the plant, 1 kilometer west of the No.3 reactor, was 265.1-microsieverts-per-hour at 5 PM. They added there had been no major change in the levels after the smoke was observed.
On Monday afternoon, gray smoke was seen rising from the same reactor building. TEPCO said that the plumes turned white before disappearing.
The power company evacuated workers from the control room of the No. 3 reactor, as well as firefighters from Tokyo and Yokohama preparing for a water-spraying operation.
The firefighters had to abandon their planned water spraying operation for the day..cont.http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/23_33.html
Kaieda sorry for threat to 'punish' firefighters who balk at nuke plant
Kyodo News
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Banri Kaieda apologized Tuesday over reports that he threatened to "punish" firefighters if they didn't carry out an operation to spray water into the No. 3 reactor building at the Fukushima No. 1 plant...cont.http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110323a4.html