New Delhi, Mar 4 (IANS): The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Friday said that it has decided to launch a 24-hour Centre for Incidents and Emergencies in the wake of the now-extinguished fire at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine caused by Russian shelling.

In a tweet, the IAEA said: "IAEA puts its Incident and Emergency Centre in full 24/7 response mode due to serious situation at Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine."

Nuclear safety at the plant, which is the largest in Europe, was threatened, reactors were in danger due to shelling by the Russian military and subsequent fire.

Firefighters were initially denied the access to put out the fire caused by the fighting, but were later given access.

President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the world community and stated that no one had ever shelled nuclear power plants, the Russians were threatening to blow up the station, which puts an entire world in danger of a global catastrophe.

Energodar, where the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant is located, has six energy blocks. In 1986, only one block exploded in Chernobyl.

In total, Ukraine has 15 nuclear energy blocks.