Fire breaks out at top of Cerro Dominador solar tower

What happened

On the evening of 12 November 2019, a fire broke out at the top of the central tower of the Cerro Dominador concentrated solar thermal plant in Antofagasta, northern Chile. The operator announced the fire on its social media account. The source reports that fire was confirmed at the tower top at about 20:00 and that the fire was 'habría iniciado' at about 20:50; the times are not reconciled in the report.

Because of the height of the tower, the operator requested aerial support. Fire companies from María Elena, Sierra Gorda and Calama were reported to be heading to the site. No injuries were reported. At the time of reporting, no major damage to the infrastructure had been identified. The cause had not been established and was under investigation.

Contributing factors

The operator said the fire was fed by combustible material in the work area at the top of the tower. The initial cause had not been established at the time of reporting.

Lessons learned

1. Keep combustible materials out of work areas at height on towers and other tall structures, and clear temporary materials before hot work finishes.
2. Plan for aerial or specialist firefighting access at heights that ground crews cannot reach, and agree response arrangements with local fire services in advance.
3. Start a documented cause investigation early and share initial findings where it is safe to do so, so that other operators can check similar work practices.

More lessons on structural integrity and turbines, fire suppression and firefighting, investigation and fleet-wide checks, from every incident on the register.

Source

reportesostenible.cl