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Wind (onshore)United StatesEIR-1349

Storm-damaged wind turbine demolished with explosives near Mechanicsville

Nov 2024Published 28 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

MinorOtherProvisional
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersMedium confidence
turbine out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordRoot cause hidden
Where
near Mechanicsville, Iowa
Operator
Acciona
What
wind turbine brought down with explosives
Injuries
None reported
Cause
Not reported

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Acciona

What happened

On the morning of 26 November 2024, a wind turbine near Mechanicsville in Cedar County, Iowa, United States, was brought down with explosives at 7:30. Cedar County Emergency Management said Acciona, the owner, was removing it because it was no longer functional. The same report said the turbine had previously caught fire and been damaged in a storm months earlier. The date of that fire and storm, and any injuries, were not reported. Local fire, ambulance, sheriff and emergency management crews were on site for the controlled demolition.

Contributing factors

The owner told emergency management the turbine was no longer functional after earlier fire and storm damage. This report does not state how the fire started, which storm was involved, or why explosives were chosen for the removal.

Lessons learned

  1. A turbine left standing after fire or storm damage may still need a planned removal, with emergency services present.
  2. The date and cause of the original damage should be recorded separately from a later demolition, so the two events are not conflated.
  3. Controlled demolition of a damaged turbine should be coordinated with local emergency management.

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

Not yet known

  • Date of the earlier damage
  • Cause of the fire
  • How the storm damaged the turbine
  • Turbine model and age

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

Source

cbs2iowa.com

Other entries that name Mechanicsville

Published 2026-09-28. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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