Fire has caused damage estimated at millions of pounds at one of the UK's biggest power stations.

An oil-powered transformer at Drax power station, near Selby, North Yorkshire, caught fire just before 1100 GMT on Monday.

More than 70 firefighters from across Yorkshire were called in to tackle the blaze and stop it spreading to the rest of the complex.

Divisional officer Steve Couchman said: "This was a ferocious fire and it took us around three hours to bring it under control.

"The power station itself was evacuated, but we managed to prevent it spreading and the damage was confined to the transformer."

Inspecting the damage

Thousands of gallons of foam were used to bring the blaze under control and extra supplies were brought in from local RAF bases as a precaution.

Two of the nine transformers at the power station - one of the largest in Europe - were shut down, but electricity supplies to homes and businesses were unaffected.

The coal-burning station is run by National Power.

Engineers were later inspecting the damage to try to find the cause of the blaze.

Firefighters were expected to stay on site overnight on Monday in case of re-ignition.

Experts described the incident as a "multi-million pound fire".