Suspected lightning strike sparks wind turbine fire at Gesner wind farm

What happened

Firefighters were called at 7.15 p.m. to Tower 2 of the Gesner wind farm at 20275 Duart Road in Muirkirk, east of Chatham. The fibreglass nacelle ignited. Saturn Power said the probable cause was believed to be a lightning strike. Firefighters monitored the fire, which was contained to that tower and later extinguished. No injuries were reported. The company said it would investigate and assess the damaged tower and that it had no damage estimate.

Contributing factors

The operator said a lightning strike was the probable cause. Fire officials initially said the cause was undetermined. No confirmed cause has been reported.

Lessons learned

1. Record a lightning strike as suspected until an investigation confirms it, including how the turbine's lightning protection performed.
2. A nacelle fire can be monitored from the ground and kept to one turbine when firefighters can secure the area.
3. Confirm whether anyone is inside the turbine and keep people clear until the fire is out.

Source

lfpress.com