[Updated March 13 5.50pm] See more background information below about the cause of the fire and the history of the power plant.

[Updated March 13 4.55pm] Beijing Police report via their Weibo account that traffic in the area of Guangqu Lu and Gaobeidian Lu is intermittent due to the fire and advise avoiding or re-routing if possible. They also ask that people do not slow down to rubber-neck or stop to look at or take photos of the fire along the Jingtong Highway. Expect heavy delays on routes heading east out of the city.

[Updated March 13 3.45pm] See video of the fire here.

[Updated March 13 3.41pm]

A fire at a power station on the East Fifth Ring Road sent black smoke into an otherwise blue Beijing sky Friday afternoon.

Firefighters and police were called to the scene of the Huaneng Power station. Reasons for the fire were still under investigation.

The fire originated from the plant's number two generator. Ten fire brigades and a total of 91 fire trucks have been used for service. The fire is under control and no casualties have been reported.

Built in the 1990s, it is the largest thermal power station in China. It produces about 10 percent of Beijing's total power supply. No outages have been reported yet as a result of the fire.

WeChat users posted photos of large plumes of smoke rising from the area. The smoke was visible as far away as Tiananmen Square.

Photos: Irish Jaranilla-Buaron, Christine Pan, Qu Qinggui