Wind turbine fire near Friesland draws emergency crews

What happened

On 5 August 2019, Friesland firefighters were reported on the scene of a burning wind turbine east of the village of Friesland on Highway 33, according to Columbia County dispatchers. Crews from Friesland and Randolph EMS were said to have responded at 3:40 p.m. Pictures posted to the Baraboo Scanner Facebook page showed the turbine billowing smoke. The item was published as a developing story. The wind farm, operator, manufacturer, cause and extent of damage were not reported, and injuries were not mentioned.

Contributing factors

Not reported. The cause had not been stated when the report was published.

Lessons learned

1. A rural turbine fire can bring local fire and ambulance crews before the site operator is publicly identified, so dispatchers need a clear site location and a contact who can isolate the turbine.
2. Early reports may confirm only that a turbine is burning and crews are attending, so operators should be ready to state cause, damage and whether anyone was hurt once that is known.
3. Ground crews may not be able to reach a fire high in a turbine, so access, isolation and a response agreed in advance with the local fire service matter.

Source

wkow.com