This Day in History: 1975-03-22

Brown’s Ferry nuclear fire   A worker holding a candle sets fire to the control system at the Brown’s Ferry Nuclear Power Plant in Alabama on this day in 1975. Tennessee Valley Authority workers heroically battled the fire and jury-rigged controls to successfully shut down the reactor in order to avert a meltdown.  The accident was only one of many at the height of the global nuclear power construction program. These led to a re-evaluation of safety and cost issues and a new emphasis on renewable energy systems.