Liberty officials say no one hurt when wind turbine collapses in Barton County
The Joplin Globe|Aug 1, 2026
A wind turbine at Liberty's North Fork Ridge Wind Farm in Barton County, Missouri, collapsed without causing any injuries. This incident marks the second turbine collapse at the farm, which is part of a network designed to generate around 600 megawatts across three locations. Liberty is currently assessing the situation and securing the site.
A wind turbine at Liberty's North Fork Ridge Wind Farm in Barton County, Missouri, collapsed without causing any injuries. This incident marks the second turbine collapse at the farm, which is part of a network designed to generate around 600 megawatts across three locations. Liberty is currently assessing the situation and securing the site.
Officials with Liberty, the Joplin-based electric utility, said Friday they are assessing the situation following the collapse of a second wind turbine in Southwest Missouri.
No one was injured.
Liberty said in a statement, "We are aware of an incident involving a wind tower at our North Fork Ridge Wind Farm in a rural area in Barton County. Crews are working to secure the site for safety. No individuals were near the site at the time of the incident, and no injuries were reported."
In 2024, a wind turbine also at the North Fork Ridge Wind Farm also collapsed, and there were no injuries then, either.
The North Fork Ridge Wind Farm is part of a network of three wind farms built by Liberty in Southeast Kansas and Southwest Missouri designed …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]Officials with Liberty, the Joplin-based electric utility, said Friday they are assessing the situation following the collapse of a second wind turbine in Southwest Missouri.
No one was injured.
Liberty said in a statement, "We are aware of an incident involving a wind tower at our North Fork Ridge Wind Farm in a rural area in Barton County. Crews are working to secure the site for safety. No individuals were near the site at the time of the incident, and no injuries were reported."
In 2024, a wind turbine also at the North Fork Ridge Wind Farm also collapsed, and there were no injuries then, either.
The North Fork Ridge Wind Farm is part of a network of three wind farms built by Liberty in Southeast Kansas and Southwest Missouri designed to produce about 600 megawatts of power.
The North Fork farm, located in Barton County along Missouri highways 126 and 43, and the Kings Point Wind Farm in part of Jasper County as well as parts of Dade and Lawrence counties, each have 69 wind turbines that are 400 feet tall from the ground to the hub and 600 feet to the tip of a turbine blade when it is at its highest point.
The Neosho Ridge Wind Farm was built with 139 wind turbines at the same time in Neosho County, Kansas, north of Parsons.
Construction took place in 2020, and the three wind farms went online in early 2021.