Two workers rescued from burning Siemens Gamesa wind turbine by helicopter

Two workers have reportedly been rescued by helicopter from a wind turbine in Brazil after a fire broke out in the generator of the Siemens Gamesa wind turbine.

According to local media outlets, the fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon, November 26, in a turbine at the Mel in Rio Grande do Norte. The two workers trapped atop the turbine were reportedly lifted away after the fire had already been put out.

A spokesperson for developer Iberdrola, which is operating the wind farm through its local subsidiary Neoenergia, said that the fire had been “quickly” put out by its own fire brigade.

However, two maintenance staff remained trapped atop the 60-metre wind turbine due to failures in the lifting system.

This necessitated the rescue by a Eurocopter AS 350B2 Ecureuil helicopter operated by the Integrated Air Operations Center (Centro Integrado de Operações Aéreas, or CIOPAER), an agency of the State Secretariat of Public Security.  

In a statement to local outlets, the Iberdrola spokesperson said that it’s subsidiary Neoenergia was “investigating the causes of an incident recorded on 26 November in a tower of the Mel wind farm. The fire was quickly controlled by internal firefighters who activated the company’s emergency plan.

“Through the immediate support of the Integrated Air Operations Center and the Military Fire Department of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, the employees were safely rescued and received first aid care by the medical team of the Mobile Emergency Care Service.

They were sent to hospital for further examinations and have been discharged and are doing well.

“Neoenergia reinforces that it is providing all the necessary support to employees while waiting for the conclusion of the report that will point out the causes of the incident.”