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Wind (onshore)United StatesEIR-0806

GE turbine fire at Roundhouse wind farm in Wyoming

Dec 2020Published 15 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantThermal / fireProvisional225 MW
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersMedium confidence
turbine out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordRoot cause hiddenThe maker is named in 15 other entries (being named is not a finding of fault)
Where
Roundhouse wind farm in Wyoming
What
GE wind turbine caught fire
Injuries
None reported
Response
Volunteer firefighters from Laramie County Fire District #10 responded
Cause
Under investigation

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Blattner Energy, NextEra Energy

What happened

A GE turbine caught fire at the 225MW Roundhouse wind farm in Wyoming, United States. The project was commissioned in June 2020 and uses GE2.3-116 and GE2.5-127 turbines. It was not reported which model caught fire. Volunteers from Laramie County Fire District #10 attended on 19 December 2020. Falling debris burnt an area of grass of around 2km2. NextEra Energy said the fire was out quickly and that no one was injured.

Developer NextEra Energy and contractor Blattner Energy had previously created gaps in vegetation and widened a track road to help contain possible grass fires. The fire service and the developer were working to establish the cause. GE declined to comment.

Contributing factors

The cause was not reported and was under investigation. Vegetation gaps and a wider track had been prepared to help contain possible grass fires. It is not reported whether those measures limited the area burnt.

Lessons learned

  1. Maintain vegetation clearance and access tracks around turbines so a turbine fire is less likely to spread through grass.
  2. Agree in advance how the site and the local fire service will work together.
  3. Investigate turbine fires promptly, including events described as rare, and record which turbine model was involved.

More lessons on spacing, layout and fire spread, fire suppression and firefighting, investigation and fleet-wide checks, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Cause of the turbine fire
  • Turbine model involved
  • Downtime or repair cost

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

Windpower Monthly (windpowermonthly.com)

Site page: Roundhouse Wind Energy Project (status, dates and other incidents)

Published 2026-09-15. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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