Wind turbine catches fire at Doddington wind farm after storms

An 89 metre wind turbine at Ransonmoor Wind Farm in Doddington, Cambridgeshire, caught fire at the top of the turbine following overnight storms during which residents reported thunder and lightning. Firefighters were called at about 07:50 BST. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service attended and placed crews on standby, but the fire was allowed to burn out safely and required no action from them. Parts of the turbine broke off during the fire, with debris scattered in the area, though the fire service said there was no danger to the public. Siemens Gamesa, which oversees operation and maintenance of the turbines at the site, confirmed there were no injuries to any member of the public or to any employees. The company said its engineers were investigating the incident. The cause of the fire was not known at the time of reporting.

Storms with lightning activity were reported across the Fens shortly before the fire was discovered, but no cause had been confirmed and the incident was under investigation.

1. Turbines are exposed to lightning during severe storms, so lightning protection systems and their down-conductor paths should be inspected and maintained on a defined schedule.
2. Fire services may adopt a defensive strategy of allowing a fire at height in a turbine to burn out rather than attempting direct intervention, and site emergency plans should set out in advance when that approach applies.
3. Burning turbines can shed components over a wide area, so cordons and exclusion zones should be set promptly even where the assessed risk to the public is low.

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-44301113