Smoke was reported coming from two reactors at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, causing employees to flee the premises.
Workers were evacuated after dark smoke was seen coming from reactor number three, according to reports from the Kyodo News Agency. White smoke, later believed to be steam, was also reported coming from a crack in reactor number two.
Employees were working on reviving the power system which would allow for the water pumps to cool the cores and prevent a meltdown. Officials from Tokyo Electric Power Co. are reportedly working on finding the cause of the smoke, and added that employees will return to work after both reactors have been deemed safe.
The reports of the evacuation come just after Bill Borchardt, the executive director of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said that the situation at the nuclear power plant appeared to be improving.
"The fact that offsite power is close to being available for use by plant equipment is the first optimistic sign that things could be turning around," Borchardt said.
Though two of the six reactors are reportedly stabilized, the evacuation will delay the efforts to restore power to the remaining reactors by at least a day.
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