Fire erupts in Williams' garage area at Catalunya

May 13, 2012 - 4:46 PM Barcelona, Spain (Sports Network) - Shortly after Pastor Maldonado won the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, Formula One team Williams had their victory celebration interrupted when a fire broke out in their garage area at Circuit de Catalunya.

Several reports indicated the fire erupted when there was a problem with the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) on one of Williams' cars. Thick smoke engulfed the pit lane area at the Barcelona road course.

There were no immediate reports of any serious injuries; however, some personnel from both Williams and Force India were taken to the track's medical center for treatment. Crew members from various teams helped extinguish the flames before emergency services arrived at the site.

The fire caused extensive damage to Williams' equipment in the garage, including Bruno Senna's car. Senna was involved in an early-race collision with Mercedes' Michael Schumacher.

Williams test driver Valtteri Bottas told UK F1 broadcasters Sky there had been some kind of explosion in the back of the garage while team principal Frank Williams gave a victory speech to the team.

Maldonado from Venezuela became a first-time grand prix winner in F1. He also gave Williams its first victory since the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix with driver Juan Pablo Montoya.