Wind turbine catches fire near railway in North Rhine-Westphalia, train services halted for hours
A wind turbine burst into flames directly beside the Hamm–Dortmund rail line on Sunday, sending thick black smoke into the sky and forcing a complete closure that lasted for several hours.
Fire at wind turbine
On Sunday, a wind turbine in Bönen, North Rhine-Westphalia, caught fire, sending a dense black plume of smoke that was visible for kilometres. The fire broke out in the nacelle at 95 metres and consumed one of the 45-metre-long rotor blades. The turbine’s housing was burned away.
Railway disruption
The turbine stands next to the Hamm–Dortmund railway, and emergency services ordered the line closed in both directions from midday. Train traffic was suspended for several hours while the volunteer fire department checked whether debris had fallen on the tracks.
Deutsche Bahn said trains between Cologne and Berlin were among those affected by diversions.It had to be clarified whether debris had fallen onto the tracks.
Self-extinguishing and safety
No firefighting operation was needed: the turbine shut itself down and the flames died out on their own. Deputy head of the Bönen volunteer fire department Niels Rudolf explained that the blaze likely subsided once the roughly 300 litres of gear oil in the nacelle were consumed.
No one was injured. Drones and thermal cameras later confirmed no vegetation fire and no lingering embers on the field.The flames probably subsided after they were no longer fed by enough flammable liquid. There were about 300 litres of gear oil in the nacelle.
Cause unclear
The cause of the fire remains unknown. The volunteer fire department is investigating. Residents were temporarily advised through a warning app to keep windows and doors shut.
