The Browns Ferry 

Nuclear Plant Fire 

of 1975 Knowledge 

Management Digest

NUREG/KM-0002

May 2013

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Table of Contents

Introduction............................................................................................................ 1

Facts about the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Fire.................................................. 2

Impact of the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Fire..................................................... 3

Timeline of the Regulatory Changes in Fire Protection 

due to the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Fire .......................................................... 4

DVD Topics ........................................................................................................... 5

Questions and Answers.......................................................................................... 6

Note: NUREG/KM-0002 supersedes NUREG/BR-0361 

The The three-Unit Browns Nuclear Power Plant, Limestone County, AL, owned and 

operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority

(TVA file photo)

NUREG/KM-0002 1

Introduction

Fire events provide a unique source of historical data, but only when the lessons 

learned provide advancements in safety. When these lessons are learned but not 

preserved, they are often repeated.

The purpose of this knowledge management NUREG (NUREG/KM) and DVD 

is to preserve the history and impact of the fire at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant 

(BFN) on regulations and to educate future generations of safety professionals. 

This is the second report in the NUREG/KM-Series. 

Fire protection in commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs) has been a longstanding 

challenge since operations began. In the 1960s and 1970s, when most of today’s 

nuclear power reactors were under construction, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission’s (NRC’s) predecessor—the Atomic Energy Commission—began 

adopting rules and regulations to ensure fire safety. The first adopted fire protection 

regulation was General Design Criterion (GDC) 3, “Fire Protection,” as Appendix 

A, “General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants,” of “Title 10 of the Code 

of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, “Domestic Licensing of Production and 

Utilization Facilities,” in February 1971. The GDC 3, in part, states that:

Structures, systems, and components important to safety shall be designed 

and located to minimize, consistent with other safety requirements, the 

probability and effect of fires and explosions. Noncombustible and heatresistant materials shall be used wherever practical throughout the unit, 

particularly in such locations as the containment and control room.

Aerial view of Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant

(TVA file photo)
2 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

During this time, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 

also developed several standards for fire protection safety in the nuclear industry. 

These first standards were:

• IEEE 279-1971, “Criteria for Protection Systems for Nuclear Power 

Generating Stations” 

• IEEE 383-1974, “IEEE Standard for Type Test of Class 1E Electric Cables, 

Field Splices, and Connections for Nuclear Power Generating Stations” 

• IEEE 384-1974, “IEEE Standard Criteria for Independence of Class 1E 

Equipment and Circuits” 

The NRC issued Regulatory Guide 1.75, “Physical Independence of Electric 

Systems,” in February 1974, and provided the basis for complying with the IEEE 

384-1974 standard. 

Facts about the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Fire

The Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 established the NRC as a regulatory agency. 

The BFN fire occurred 3 months after the NRC began operations in January 1975. 

Picture of Browns Ferry Fire Cable Spreading Room. Note the melted aluminum 

electrical cable conduit. 

(TVA file photo)
NUREG/KM-0002 3

• The fire started at BFN on March 22, 1975, by a worker using a lit candle to 

check for air leaks. This risky action ignited a temporary polyurethane cable 

penetration seal. 

• The fire quickly spread into the polyurethane seal and cables, causing 

significant damage to the cable spreading room and Unit 1 reactor building.

• The fire at BFN forever changed how the NRC and industry view the threat 

of fire to safe NPP operations. 

Impact of the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Fire

The BFN fire prompted a new series of fire protection regulations. The NRC 

published NUREG-0050, “Recommendations Related to Browns Ferry Fire,” 

in February1976. In response to the recommendations, the NRC developed the 

Branch Technical Position (BTP) Auxiliary Power Conversion Systems Branch

(APCSB) 9.5-1 in May 1976, and its Appendix A, “Guidelines for Fire Protection 

for Nuclear Power Plants Docketed Prior to July 1, 1976,” in February 1977. 

Appendix A uses the IEEE 383-1974 standard as a basis for flame spread, and 

to this date it is the electrical cable flame spread standard used in regulations. 

In November 1980, the NRC published 10 CFR 50.48, “Fire Protection,” and 

Picture of TVA Browns Ferry seal penetration tests (TVA file photo)

Appendix R, “Fire Protection 

Program for Nuclear Power 

Facilities Operating Prior to 

January 1, 1979,” to 

10 CFR Part 50 (effective 

February 1981).

The BFN fire was the first 

major challenge that the 

newly formed NRC had 

to face. Today, with a 

renewed interest in building 

new nuclear power plants 

and development of new 

materials and technology, fire 

protection continues to face 

challenges.
4 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
NUREG/KM-0002 5

DVD Topics

To help navigate through the DVD, the outline below provides topics and 

headings that can be accessed directly. The user may also click the boxes on the 

Timeline for the documents related to the Browns Ferry Fire.

1. Introduction

2. Historical Documents

a. 10 CFR Part 50.48 and Appendix R History of Changes

i. Current Versions of 10 CFR 50.48 and Appendix R

ii. History of Changes

iii. Federal Register Notices

b. Secretary of the Commission (SECY) Papers, Legal Challenges, and 

Congressional Documents

i. SECY Papers

ii. Court and Congressional Documents

c. NRC NUREG (Technical Reports by NRC Staff)

i. U.S. NRC NUREG on BFN

d. Reports and Other Related Documents

i. Non-NRC Reports on BFN

ii. Journal Articles by the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE)

e. Presentations and Multimedia

i. Video and Photographs of BFN and Seal Penetration Fire Tests

ii. Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) Seminar Presentation

on BFN Fire; invited speakers David Notley and Robert Ferguson 

(retired NRC engineers who worked on drafting and issuing 

Appendix R), June 30, 2008

iii. RES Seminar Presentation of the 35th Anniversary of the BFN Fire; 

invited speaker Jack Lewis (former BFN operator on shift the day 

of the fire and later NRC employee), March 26, 2010

iv. Technical Training Center (TTC) Interview with Jack Lewis (retired 

NRC’s TTC Instructor, 2005)

v. Presentations about BFN Fire

f. NRC Bulletins, Amendments, and Commission Meeting Transcripts

i. NRC Bulletins

ii. Amendments to BFN

iii. Commission Meeting Transcripts
6 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

QUESTION: Where to go in the DVD: Subcategories to go to:

What happened in the 

BFN fire and what did 

we learn?

 

Reports and Other 

Related Documents All

NRC NUREGs NUREGs

NRC Bulletins, 

Amendments, and 

Commission Meeting 

Transcripts

Commission Meeting 

Transcripts

How is this information 

reported to the public?

Reports and Other 

Related Documents Journal Articles

NRC NUREGs NUREGs

How did the NRC 

communicate what 

actions needed to be 

taken after this event?

NRC NUREGs All

NRC Bulletins, 

Amendments, and 

Commission Meeting 

Transcripts

All

What were the rules and 

regulations before the 

BFN fire and how has 

this fire changed them?

10 CFR 50.48 and 

Appendix R 

History of Changes

All

NRC Bulletins, 

Amendments, and 

Commission Meeting 

Transcripts

Amendments

How does NRC staff 

inform the Commission 

of policy and rulemaking 

matters?

SECY Papers, 

Legal Challenges, and 

Congressional 

Documents

SECY Documents

Questions and Answers

This NUREG/KM DVD provides a compilation of information that provides 

perspective on the BFN fire. Each document type serves a different purpose and 

answers a different question. Combined, these sources create a well-rounded 

picture of the event for different types and levels of users. Individually, they 

paint a detailed picture of certain aspects of the event. The following table asks 

some questions related to the BFN fire and provides examples of where the user 

should go in the DVD to find the answers.

(continued)
NUREG/KM-0002 7

QUESTION: Where to go in the DVD: Subcategories to go to:

How does the court 

uphold or challenge 

rules set forth by 

the NRC?

SECY Papers, 

Legal Challenges, and 

Congressional 

Documents

Legal Challenges

How does Congress 

obtain information, 

conduct investigations, 

or oversee the NRC?

SECY Papers, 

Legal Challenges, and 

Congressional 

Documents

Congressional 

Documents

What do the experts 

think, and what does a 

fire like this look like?

Presentations and 

Multimedia All

What is the difference 

between NUREG/

BR-0361 and NUREG/

KM-0002?

NUREG/KM-0002 

supersedes NUREG/

BR-0361. It also 

contains new material 

such as the 35th 

Anniversary of the 

Browns Ferry Fire 

Seminar and additional 

historic test photos.
8 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

The Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant 

Fire of 1975 Knowledge 

Management Digest

Prepared by:

Felix E. Gonzalez,

David Stroup,

Jessica Kratchman,

Mark Henry Salley

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Fire Research Branch

This DVD was developed using Visual Basic Professional 2008. Make sure 

you have Windows XP and Visual Basic Framework 3.5 or above for the DVD to 

work correctly.

NUREG/KM-0002

May 2013