A wind turbine at Derval park, in Loire-Atlantique, caught fire Thursday morning. According to firefighters, the fire broke out around 8 a.m. in a wind farm located on the edge of the D775 departmental road crossing this town located between Nantes and Rennes. Could this be linked to Storm Nelson? Although it is too early to say, we can nevertheless note that the winds were particularly powerful in the area when the fire started. Loire-Atlantique had been placed on orange alert for violent winds by Météo-France. Images toured by a colleague show the large plume of smoke emanating from the device.
According to the owner Statkraft, the Derval wind farm was shut down while the reasons for this fire were identified. On images shot with a drone, we can see the very significant damage from the fire, which ravaged the turbine engine. A security perimeter was installed around the damaged wind turbine. Last year at the same time, a wind turbine also caught fire in Vendée, requiring the intervention of firefighters.
Around thirty interventions linked to the storm were recorded from Wednesday to Thursday in the Loire-Atlantique department, without causing any injuries.