Remote Steuben County windmill catches fire
WETM News|Carl Aldinger|Mar 29, 2023
A wind turbine in a remote part of Steuben County caught fire Tuesday evening, leaving smoke billowing into the sky as crews let the blaze run its course. Reports of the fire first came in around just before 6:00 p.m. on March 28 at a windmill on Cemetery Hill Road in the hamlet of Rexville. Photos and videos posted on Facebook and sent into 18 News showed the gearbox (known as the “nacelle”) in flames with debris falling to the ground and smoke billowing into the air.
A wind turbine in a remote part of Steuben County caught fire Tuesday evening, leaving smoke billowing into the sky as crews let the blaze run its course. Reports of the fire first came in around just before 6:00 p.m. on March 28 at a windmill on Cemetery Hill Road in the hamlet of Rexville. Photos and videos posted on Facebook and sent into 18 News showed the gearbox (known as the “nacelle”) in flames with debris falling to the ground and smoke billowing into the air.
REXVILLE, N.Y. – A wind turbine in a remote part of Steuben County caught fire Tuesday evening, leaving smoke billowing into the sky as crews let the blaze run its course.
Reports of the fire first came in around just before 6:00 p.m. on March 28 at a windmill on Cemetery Hill Road in the hamlet of Rexville. Photos and videos posted on Facebook and sent into 18 News showed the gearbox (known as the “nacelle”) in flames with debris falling to the ground and smoke billowing into the air.
Steuben County Emergency Services Director Tim Marshall said that protocol for windmill fires is to let the fire burn out and let the nacelle fall to the ground. As of 8:30 a.m. on March 29, crews had not been called back to the scene.
The windmill falls …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]REXVILLE, N.Y. – A wind turbine in a remote part of Steuben County caught fire Tuesday evening, leaving smoke billowing into the sky as crews let the blaze run its course.
Reports of the fire first came in around just before 6:00 p.m. on March 28 at a windmill on Cemetery Hill Road in the hamlet of Rexville. Photos and videos posted on Facebook and sent into 18 News showed the gearbox (known as the “nacelle”) in flames with debris falling to the ground and smoke billowing into the air.
Steuben County Emergency Services Director Tim Marshall said that protocol for windmill fires is to let the fire burn out and let the nacelle fall to the ground. As of 8:30 a.m. on March 29, crews had not been called back to the scene.
The windmill falls within the coverage area of Eight Point Wind. 18 News reached out to Eight Point Wind for comment. “We are aware of the turbine failure at Eight Point Wind on Tuesday, March 28. Importantly, no one was injured. We believe this was an isolated incident and the cause is under investigation. We will clean up the area and remove damaged equipment safely and as quickly as possible,” said spokesperson Mike Mazur.