Nacelle fire on wind turbine at Bürgerwindpark Fehmarn, Germany

What happened

On the morning of Monday 2 February 2026, the nacelle of a wind turbine at the Bürgerwindpark Fehmarn caught fire at a height of about 99 metres. The community wind farm on the island of Fehmarn in Schleswig-Holstein has seven turbines and has been in operation since 1999. Police said the fire began in the nacelle. Burning debris repeatedly fell from the turbine. Several volunteer fire brigades attended, cordoned off the area and an ambulance was called as a precaution.

Because fire service ladders usually reach only about 40 metres, crews could not fight the fire at that height and let the turbine burn out under control. No one was injured. Police closed their part of the operation around 9 am and estimated property damage at about 500,000 euros.

Contributing factors

Police said a technical defect was the most likely cause of the fire. No further technical detail was reported.

Lessons learned

1. Nacelle fires at height often cannot be reached by standard fire service equipment, so operators should plan for controlled burn-out and exclusion zones around turbines.
2. Falling burning debris makes a wide cordon necessary, and the exclusion distance should be set in advance for each site.
3. Operators should review electrical and mechanical defect detection in nacelles to find faults before they ignite.

More lessons on structural integrity and turbines, spacing, layout and fire spread, from every incident on the register.

Source

t-online.de