BUCHAREST - The fire at the Iron Gate 1 Hydro Power Station on the Danube was extinguished, announced a plant representative Thursday.

The power generation group affected by the accident was stopped for safety, the representative was quoted as saying by official Agerpres news agency.

The fire broke out earlier in the day, with a huge cloud of smoke rising above the dam in Romania's southwestern city of Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

The fire started at an incoming transformer. Six water foam fire trucks managed to put out the fire in time and avoided a possible explosion.

The Iron Gate I Hydroelectric Power Station is the largest dam on the Danube River and one of the largest hydropower plants in Europe. It is located on the Iron Gate gorge, between Romania and Serbia.