Wind turbine fire near Williamsburg sparks secondary blaze

What happened

Firefighters responded at 12:39 a.m. on 24 October to a rural address south of Interstate 80 near Williamsburg, Iowa. On arrival they found a wind turbine with its head fully engulfed. Flaming debris caused a secondary fire in the surrounding field. The Williamsburg Fire Department secured the area and extinguished the flames. MidAmerican Energy personnel took over operations at 3:01 a.m.

Contributing factors

The cause of the turbine fire is under investigation by MidAmerican Energy and the turbine manufacturer.

Lessons learned

1. Wind turbine fires need planned access and exclusion zones because of falling debris and blades overhead.
2. Debris from a turbine fire can start a secondary fire in the surrounding field, so the initial size-up should include the ground around the turbine.
3. Operators should have a clear handover with the fire service once the site is made safe.

Source

firehouse.com