Nacelle fire destroys out-of-service wind turbine near Crostwitz, Saxony

What happened

In the early hours of Monday 30 March 2026, at about 00:45, the nacelle of a wind turbine beside the road between Crostwitz and Sibnitz in the Bautzen district of Saxony, Germany, was fully on fire. The turbine was about 25 years old, was not in operation and was due to be demolished. Several fire brigades from the surrounding area attended, including the fire brigade from Crostwitz, but could not reach the fire at that height.

The turbine was left to burn out under control. Burning debris fell before the fire services arrived and started further fires on the ground, which crews located and extinguished. The fire service cordoned off a wide area to protect crews and residents from falling, partly glowing components. No injuries were reported. Police said a technical defect was suspected and the investigation was continuing.

Contributing factors

Police reported that a technical defect is suspected. The source gives no further detail on the cause of the fire within the nacelle. The turbine was out of service and scheduled for demolition at the time.

Lessons learned

1. Out-of-service turbines awaiting demolition still contain electrical and mechanical equipment and can ignite, so they should be included in fire risk assessments until dismantling is complete.
2. Where a nacelle fire cannot be reached by ground-based firefighting, plan a controlled burn-out with a wide exclusion zone, because falling burning debris can start secondary fires.
3. Operators decommissioning turbines should keep electrical systems isolated and inspected until dismantling is complete and should set out in advance how falling debris will be managed.

More lessons on structural integrity and turbines, electrical protection and isolation, from every incident on the register.

Source

berliner-zeitung.de