Fire On Board Unarmed French Nuclear Attack Submarine At Toulon Harbour

Sailors aboard the French submarine "Perle" (C) inspect the vessel in Portsmouth ahead of celebrations. A fire broke out on June 12, 2020 on board of the 'Perle', one of the French army's six nuclear-powered attack submarines, but without causing any injuries, while it underwent inspections at Toulon naval base. Image Credit: AFP

AFP: Fire on board unarmed French nuclear submarine

Some 40 people were evacuated from the vessel with no injuries reported.

Marseille: A fire broke out Friday, without causing injuries, on board an unarmed French nuclear submarine undergoing renovation at a naval base in Toulon in the country's southeast, officials said.

The attack submarine La Perle (The Pearl), one of six in France's arsenal, had no nuclear fuel nor weapons on board, said the Mediterranean maritime authority. Some 40 people were evacuated from the vessel with no injuries reported.

The fire broke out at about 10.30 am in a hard-to-access part of the lower bow section of the submarine, and was still raging by mid-afternoon, according to the navy, which feared substantial material damage.

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Update: French nuclear submarine on fire at Toulon harbour: prefecture (Reuters)

WNU Editor: There appears to be extensive damage.

Update #2: A French Submarine Caught Fire In Drydock. It Could Lead Paris To Rethink Its Nuclear Deterrence Strategy. (Forbes).