No injuries were reported when a wind turbine caught fire near on the Salt Fork Wind Facility near Jericho last Wednesday, June 7.
Schuyler Baehman, a spokesperson for Southern Company, which operates Salt Fork, said the fire happened about 5:30 p.m.
“Employees at the plant contacted first responders, who responded to the incident,” Baehman told the Enterprise. “All plant personnel are safe and accounted for and there were no injuries.
Baehman also said that a small area of the plant has been taken offline as a preemptive safety measure as Southern investigates the cause of the fire.
Reporters on the scene that evening after the fire noted that the nacelle covering on the turbine was burned away and one of the three wind turbine blades was partially destroyed by the fire.
According to Enterprise files, the original Salt Fork Wind Facility consists of eighty-seven two Megawatt Vestas wind turbines. The turbines are spread across northwestern Donley and southwestern Gray counties.
Company officials did not comment on possible causes of the fire. An article in the online publication Wind Power Monthly says turbine nacelles contain flammable lubricants and oil and can have other flammable components. The article further states that fires can be started by electrical problems or mechanical overheating.
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