Fire Accident Data From Caithness Windfarm Forum. http://www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk

Year Before 2000 2000-2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
No. 7 62 14 2 21 17 18 13
Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
No. 20 19 24 19 19 28 24 26

The biggest problem with turbine fires is that, because of the turbine height, the fire brigade can do little but watch it burn itself out. While this may be acceptable in reasonably still conditions, in a storm it means burning debris being scattered over a wide area, with obvious consequences. In dry weather there is obviously a wider-area fire risk, especially for those constructed in or close to forest areas and/or close to housing or work places. http://www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk

Turbine Fires

Study backed by Imperial College finds wind turbines prone to “catastrophic” fires but the true scale of the problem is unknown
http://www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk/AccidentStatistics.htm

Wind Turbine Fires: Findings from the 2018 US Wind Technical Symposium. The ONYX InSight Third Annual Wind Turbine Technical Symposium. 10th October 2018.
https://onyxinsight.com/2018/10/10/onyx-insight-third-annual-wind-turbine-technical-symposium/
Our first survey asked who in the audience had experienced a turbine fire. 74% of participants had experience with turbine fires. 25% of participants had experienced more than three fires.

Uadiale S., Urbán E., Carvel, R., Lange, D. and Rein, G., 2014. Overview of Problems and Solutions in Fire Protection Engineering of Wind Turbines. Fire Safety Science 11: 983-995. 10.3801/IAFSS.FSS.11-983

The flaming turbine is part of Iberdrola Renewables’ Streator Cayuga Ridge South Wind Power Project located in  Livingston County, IL. http://www.windaction.org

Wind Turbine Fire Risks, Prevention and Safety

Fire prevention and fire fighting on wind farms. Safelincs Blog. https://www.safelincs.co.uk/blog/2017/01/23/fire-prevention-fire-fighting-wind-farms/
Prof. Dipl. – Ing. Henry Seifert. Wind Turbine Fire Protection. Symposium on Fire Protection for a Changing World. Munich. Hochschule Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences. 18 April 2016

Ragheb, M. Safety of Wind Systems. 6-10-2016

FIRE RISK IN WIND TURBINES. Fire Safety Search Articles. January 22, 2018

FIRE SAFETY IN WIND TURBINES. Fire Safety Search Articles. May 25, 2017
Dederichs,Anne. Fire safety in wind turbines – there is more to know. International Fire Protection. 15/03/2017.
Wind turbines Fire protection guideline. CFPA-E Guideline No 22:2012 F. The European fire protection associations. Hardy Rusch. VdS Schadenverhütung. The Confederation of Fire Protection Associations in Europe (CFPA Europe). September 2012.

Click to access CFPA_E_Guideline_No_22_2012_F.pdf

This guideline is primarily intended for those responsible for safety in companies and
organisations. It is also addressed to the rescue services, consultants, safety companies etc. so that, in course of their work, they may be able to help companies and organisations to increase the levels of fire safety.

Shaun Campbell, Minimizing fire risk in wind turbines. 28 August 2015. Windpowermonthly.com.

Markert, Frank. Fire safety of wind turbines: fire scenarios. Workshop Fire Safety for Wind Turbines. 20-Sep-2016. DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark.

Palya, Greg. TWISTING IN THE WIND. ABCO Fire. 

Wind Turbine Rescue and Fighting Turbine Fires.

Bowker, Gary. 3 wind-turbine failures firefighters must know. firerescue1.com. Jun 25, 2012.
Wind-turbine farms are springing up across the country and they pose unique threats to fire and rescue agencies.

Jeff Riechmann. Technical Rescue in Wind Turbines: Firefighting Operations. 04/01/2015.
https://www.firerescuemagazine.com/articles/print/volume-10/issue-4/firefighting-operations/technical-rescue-in-wind-turbines.html

 “Departments with wind turbines in their response areas should consider acquiring their own high-angle rescue equipment. Actual required equipment will depend on your department’s individual needs”

Forest Fires

Penn, Ivan. Power lines and electrical equipment are a leading cause of California wildfires. Los Angeles Times. OCT 17, 2017. https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-utility-wildfires-20171017-story.html

Penn, Ivan. As Fires Ravaged California, Utilities Lobbied Lawmakers for Protection. The New York Times. January 5, 2019.  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/05/business/energy-environment/california-wildfire-electric.html.
California lawmakers are debating whether to protect investor-owned utilities from liability in wildfires like the deadly Camp Fire. Facing billions of dollars in damages, PG&E and other utilities want legislators to let them pass on the cost to homeowners through higher electricity rates.
A version of this article appears in print on Jan. 6, 2019, on Page B1 of the New York edition with the headline: Passing the Buck as Fires Raged.

Raftery, Miriam. Cal Fire: Wind Turbine Generator Caused Wildland Fire that Charred 367 Acres.  East County Magazine. August 1, 2012
https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/10581

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