December 22, 2020
Wyoming
Wyoming
A wind turbine west of Cheyenne caught fire Saturday morning. Laramie County Fire District 10 responded to the fire, which Chief Paul Pomeroy said burned itself out in a matter of hours. Courtesy of Laramie County Fire District 10
CHEYENNE – A wind turbine west of Cheyenne caught fire Saturday morning and burned itself out a few hours later, Laramie County Fire District 10 Chief Paul Pomeroy said.
The fire started about 8:30 a.m., and the turbine burned for about two hours while firefighters were on standby at the scene, Pomeroy said. Falling debris started some minor grass fires, but these were quickly extinguished by snow, he said, and firefighters did not use water on the area.
Pomeroy said the fire would be investigated, but that it was likely an equipment malfunction.
“Kind a fluke that this happens – it doesn’t happen quite often,” Pomeroy said.
In a comment on the fire district’s Facebook page, Assistant Chief Karl Zunker said the fire district would be working with NextEra to find the cause of the fire.
“I had no major concerns of large grass fires because the area was grazed this year,” Zunker wrote on Sunday. “So, it was short, and we had snow in draws, numerous roads and other natural fire breaks to keep any grass fires contained.”
Zunker expressed gratitude to the NextEra and Blattner Energy employees who cut a fire line and helped expand another to help with grass fire containment.
The turbine was built by Blattner Energy, Pomeroy said.
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2020/12/22/wind-turbine-west-of-cheyenne-catches-fire-saturday-morning/