Wind turbine nacelle catches fire at Windy Hill wind farm in Ravenshoe

A wind turbine nacelle caught fire at the Windy Hill wind farm near Ravenshoe, Queensland. Queensland Fire and Emergency Services crews attended from around 3pm and worked to contain the blaze, remaining on site to prevent it spreading into surrounding grassland. The fire was confined to the nacelle, the housing that contains the turbine's generating components, and was extinguished. A Ratch spokesperson said there were no injuries to Ratch or TWPS personnel or the public, and that the company was not aware of any property damage or interruption to local electricity supply. Emergency services established an exclusion zone around the affected turbine as a precaution. It was reported as the first fire at the 20-turbine wind farm since it began operating in 2000. The cause was not known at the time of reporting, with the operator stating that technicians would carry out an investigation.

Not reported. The operator stated the cause would not be known until an investigation by technicians was completed.

1. Nacelle fires can occur at long-operating wind farms with no previous fire history, so fire risk monitoring should not be relaxed as an asset ages.
2. Establishing an exclusion zone and coordinating with emergency services helps prevent injury and contain secondary risks such as grass fires in dry conditions.
3. Prompt confirmation of injury status and supply impact after a highly visible incident helps manage community concern.

qmeb.com.au/ravenshoe-windy-hill-turbine-fire