Fire at Tohaku wind turbine in Kotoura, Tottori, Japan
Oct 2026Published 28 Oct 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Nihon Furyoku Kaihatsu Joint Fund
What happened
On the 24th (the source gives the day only; October 2026 is inferred from the report date), a fire broke out near the base of the blades on Unit 2 of the Tohaku Wind Power Plant in Kotoura, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. The fire started close to the area where the turbine's main equipment is housed, and the burning section was more than 60 metres above ground. Because of that height, firefighters could not extinguish the fire, and it went out on its own after about two and a half hours.
No one was injured. The operator, Nihon Furyoku Kaihatsu Joint Fund, said the cause was not known at the time of reporting. All 12 wind turbines in the town were shut down. A routine inspection on 22 October found no abnormalities. The turbine was not generating when the fire started because the wind was weak. The company said there was no precedent for a fire igniting in a turbine of this type. Access to the area around the turbine was closed, and a nearby road was closed to traffic.
Contributing factors
The cause has not been determined. The source reports that the routine inspection on 22 October found no abnormalities and that the turbine was idle because wind speeds were low when the fire started. The burning section was above 60 metres, which prevented firefighting.
Lessons learned
- Fire at the blade root or upper section of a wind turbine can be beyond the reach of ground-based firefighting, so operators should plan for suppression limits and exclusion zones before an incident occurs.
- A turbine that passed a recent inspection and was not generating can still have a fire, so inspection findings should not be treated as ruling out an ignition source.
- Shutting down all turbines at a site while the cause is investigated, and engaging local authorities and communities early, helps maintain trust and supports safe restart.
More lessons on structural integrity and turbines, emergency response and public communication, from every incident on the register.
Source
Site page: Tohaku wind farm (status, dates and other incidents)
Other entries that name Kotoura
Published 2026-10-28. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
