Fire destroys turbine at Whitelee windfarm near Glasgow

On the evening of Thursday 17 September, one of the 215 turbines at Whitelee Windfarm near Glasgow caught fire. Pictures shared with the reporting newspaper showed the turbine's charred head and blackened blades on the roughly 65-metre-tall hub, described as a burnt-out shell. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was alerted at 22:49 and sent two fire appliances to the site in East Renfrewshire. Firefighters worked alongside ScottishPower representatives to make the area safe, leaving the scene at 01:17 the following morning. ScottishPower, which operates the windfarm, said the affected turbine was taken out of service and a safety exclusion zone established around it in line with the company's safety procedures. The relevant authorities were notified. The rest of the windfarm, the UK's largest onshore site, continued to operate normally. No injuries were reported. An earlier fire at the site was reported in July 2025, when footage showed smoke coming from one of the turbines.

The cause of the fire had not been determined at the time of reporting; ScottishPower said it was investigating.

1. Operators should maintain clear safety exclusion zones and rapid isolation procedures for turbines affected by fire to protect personnel and the public.
2. Close coordination between site operators and fire services supports faster containment and safe stand-down at remote wind assets.
3. Repeat fire events at the same site warrant a wider review of turbine maintenance, condition monitoring and fire detection arrangements across the fleet.

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