Wind turbine fire at Beaver Creek Wind Farm in Iowa

A fire broke out at about 9:30pm on a Thursday night in a wind turbine at the Beaver Creek Wind Farm, north of Beaver in Boone County, Iowa. The fire was reported by a nearby homeowner. Volunteer fire departments responded but could not fight the fire directly, as ladder trucks and hoses cannot reach the height of a turbine nacelle, which sat atop a tower reported as 312 feet (95 metres). The fire was confined to one tower. The wind farm, rated at 170MW, comprises 85 turbines across Greene and Boone counties that were put into operation in autumn 2017. No injuries were reported. MidAmerican Energy Co., the operator, said on the following morning that its team was investigating the cause, and the Boone County Sheriff's Office made a preliminary investigation before handing the scene to the utility. The operator said it was uncertain whether the generator atop the tower would need to be removed and replaced.

The cause of the fire had not been determined at the time of reporting. The operator said it did not want to speculate before reviewing all the facts, and the sheriff's office said no foul play had been reported.

1. Fires high in a wind turbine nacelle are generally beyond the reach of conventional fire service ladders and hoses, so response plans should address exclusion zones, ground fire spread and debris rather than direct attack.
2. Rapid reporting by nearby residents can be an important early warning for remote turbine sites, so local contact routes should be clear.
3. Agreed handover protocols between police, fire services and the asset operator help scenes to be managed safely and passed on for technical investigation without exposing first responders to unnecessary risk.

theperrynews.com/update-investigation-of-beaver-turbine-fire-underway-friday