Wind turbine catches fire at Doddington wind farm after storms

What happened

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.

Contributing factors

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.

Lessons learned

1. Lightning protection systems and down-conductor paths on wind turbines should be inspected on a defined schedule after storms.
2. Fire services may allow a nacelle fire at height to burn out safely, so site plans must set out this approach in advance.
3. Burning turbines can shed components, so exclusion zones must be set promptly even when public risk is low.

More lessons on weather and external hazards, structural integrity and turbines, emergency response and public communication, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

• Turbine model and age
• Cost of the damage
• Length of downtime

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

Source

BBC News (bbc.co.uk)