GE turbine fire at newly commissioned Roundhouse wind farm in Wyoming

A GE wind turbine caught fire at the 225MW Roundhouse wind farm in Wyoming on the morning of 19 December 2020, about six months after the project was commissioned. Volunteer firefighters from Laramie County Fire District #10 responded. Falling debris from the turbine burnt an area of grass of around 2km2, according to the assistant local fire chief. It is unclear which of the two GE Renewable Energy turbine models installed at the site, the GE2.3-116 or the GE2.5-127, was involved. No one was injured, according to NextEra Energy. The developer, NextEra Energy, and contractor Blattner Energy had created gaps in vegetation and widened a track road to help contain any possible grass fires. NextEra said the fire was out quickly, that turbine fires are rare, and that it was investigating the cause. GE declined to comment.

The cause of the turbine fire had not been established at the time of reporting; the volunteer fire department was working with the developer to establish it. Falling burning debris spread fire into surrounding grassland.

1. Vegetation management and firebreaks around turbines can limit the spread of secondary grass fires caused by falling burning debris.
2. Close coordination between local volunteer fire services and site operators supports rapid containment of turbine fires in rural areas.
3. Newly commissioned turbines are not immune to fire risk and should be included in ongoing monitoring and root cause investigation even shortly after commissioning.

windpowermonthly.com/article/1703314/ge-turbine-catches-fire-newly-completed-...