French Nuclear Submarine Catches Fire in Mediterranean - Photo

PARIS (Sputnik) - A Rubis-class French nuclear submarine named Perle has caught fire while anchored on a naval base in the port-city of Toulon on the country's Mediterranean coast, the Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the Mediterranean said on Friday, adding that the incident poses no threat of radioactive pollution.

"Smoke from fire on the Perle is not radioactive. There was no nuclear fuel on board. Reminder: France has sensors installed across the country for detecting any radioactivity anomaly. Watch out for fake news," the prefecture said on Twitter.

Var : un incendie s'est déclaré à bord du sous-marin nucléaire d'attaque Perle à la base navale de #Toulon. Les autorités indiquent qu'il n'y a pas de blessé, précisant que le bâtiment militaire est en entretien et n'est équipé ni d'arme ni de combustible nucléaire (Var-Matin). pic.twitter.com/sxhYlRakYd

— Infos Françaises (@InfosFrancaises) June 12, 2020

​In a thread of tweets, the prefecture said that local firefighting brigades were pulled to the scene along with support teams from neighbouring Marseilles.

Firefighters tackling fire on board French Rubis-class SSN Perle https://t.co/Gjg5oX5ixs

— Richard Thomas (@RWJThomas) June 12, 2020

​According to the statements, no casualties ensued as a result of the fire.

Perle is one of the six Rubis-class nuclear submarines owned by the French navy, all of them are named after gemstones. It was floated out in 1987 and began operations in 1993. Since January, it has been docked in Toulon for maintenance.