On 28 May a wind turbine on an array in Great Western, a town in the state of Victoria in the southeast of Australia, burst into flames. The fire started at about 9.30 pm. Seven County Fire Authority firefighting units from Ararat, Stawell and Great Western fire brigades attended the scene.
CFA District 16 Commander Ben Townsend explained that the fire had been monitored by the company the previous night and crews were called back when it reignited at about 3.20 am. “CFA crews that attended did what they could to create safety zones, and remained clear of the structure,” said Ben.
Crews were initially called out because the main body of the wind turbine was on fire. They contacted the operator of the turbines and they were shut down. Crews left the scene in the hands of the owners to monitor, and soon after 3 am they were called back because a blade had caught fire, become dislodged, and fallen to the ground.
The fire and the area around was soon brought under control; the incident and its cause will be investigated, says CFA.
