Wind turbine blaze 'contained' north of Goderich, Ont.
Todd Edginton could hardly believe his eyes when he looked out his back door to find a wind turbine on fire. He wasn’t alone, as people stopped just north of Goderich to see the spectacle unfold.
“I was going back to the cottage along Highway 21 from Goderich, and saw this. I said to myself, ‘Something odd is going on here,’ so I came looking to see what was happening,” said Listowel native, Warren Howard.
Salman Hossain was heading to Goderich’s beach from Toronto when he saw smoke in the distance.
“At first, I thought nobody saw it, and I should call 9-1-1, but then you [Scott Miller] showed up, and told me what was going on,” said Hossain.
What Hossain and Howard saw was thick black smoke streaming from the top of a towering wind turbine, just off of Golf Course Road, two concessions north of Goderich.
Goderich fire crews responded to a blaze that engulfed a wind turbine north of Goderich, Ont. on June 3, 2023. (Source: Submitted)
The fire was spotted around 6:30 a.m. By, 9 a.m., the main fire, which was centred on the nacelle, or main mechanical and electrical box atop the turbine, was out. But, flames continued to spread down one of the blades.
Goderich fire crews remained on scene for much of the day to ensure nothing falling from the turbine sparked a fire on the ground. Extreme dry conditions sparked a burn ban in Huron and Bruce County earlier this week.
“You’ve got to be careful about these things. Luckily, there’s no crops in the fields. We’re dry, but there’s nothing to burn at the moment,” said Howard, who also works for Wind Concerns Ontario and sits on the Multi-Municipal Wind Turbine Working Group.
Fire crews tackled a blaze that had engulfed a wind turbine near Goderich, Ont. on June 3, 2023. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
Because the fire was so high off the ground, nearly 100 metres up, firefighters couldn’t actually put it out. It appears the turbine has a fire suppression system, and the fire simply burned itself out, although Capital Power, who operates the 22 turbine Kingsbridge 1 Wind Farm, where Saturday’s fire happened, said an incident investigation will tell them more.
This is the second wind turbine fire at the Kingsbridge 1 Wind Farm, which was constructed in 2006. The last fire in 2013 was very similar, with damage focused on the nacelle, and fire crews forced to watch the fire from the ground.
Howard thinks sprinkler systems should be mandatory on all Ontario wind turbines.
“You can’t get up to the thing they call the ‘nacelles,’ so you gotta have sprinkler systems up there when fires start. There’s a lot of oil up there,” he explained.
Goderich fire crews responded to a blaze that engulfed a wind turbine north of Goderich, Ont. on June 3, 2023. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
No one was injured in Saturday’s turbine blaze, which was contained to the single turbine. It’s unclear how long or how much it will cost to fix the damaged turbine, but the next few weeks will be busy for the wind farm operators, Capital Power, as they investigate the damage done 100 metres in the air.
“They do have a risk. I think there’s been 10 in Ontario over the past 10 years that have failed in various ways,” said Howard.
Hossain added that he’s glad no one was hurt, but it’s hard to turn away from the unique spectacle of a fire in a place you wouldn’t expect to see on fire.
“I actually made a video. A TikTok. Like here’s the beautiful view, and this is not so beautiful,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.