The blade from a wind turbine fell off and landed in a cranberry bog off Head of the Bay Road in Plymouth on Friday, Nov. 7. (Photo Courtesy Plymouth Fire Department)
PLYMOUTH — Chief Neil Foley reports that the Plymouth Fire Department responded to Head of the Bay Road after a blade from a 300-foot-tall wind turbine fell off and landed in a cranberry bog on Friday afternoon.
On Friday, Nov. 7, at approximately 1:52 p.m., Plymouth Fire received a call from a concerned neighbor who noticed that one of the three blades on a wind turbine located in the area of 810 Head of the Bay Road was suddenly missing.
Upon arrival, firefighters located the detached blade several hundred feet away from the base of the turbine, resting in an open cranberry bog area. The blade is approximately 75 to 100 feet long.
There were no injuries, and there is no danger to the public. The affected area is remote and surrounded by cranberry bogs, and no homes or occupied buildings were in the immediate vicinity of the fall.
Firefighters assessed the scene and confirmed that no additional hazards were present.
The maintenance company responsible for the wind turbine responded to the scene and is currently conducting inspections to determine the cause of the failure. According to the maintenance company, the turbine automatically entered a fail-safe mode, shutting down immediately after the blade detached.
The company has cordoned off the area and is arranging for contractors to remove the damaged blade and clean up the scene.
Fire crews have since cleared the scene, as the maintenance contractor continues its cleanup of the site and its review of the incident.
The Plymouth Fire Department notified the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) about the incident, as well as the Town of Plymouth’s Inspectional Services Department.
“We were fortunate that this turbine is located out in the middle of the cranberry bogs and not in a residential area,” said Chief Foley. “Thankfully, no one was hurt, and the turbine automatically shut itself down as designed. As we continue to investigate, MassDEP and Inspectional Services will now do their due diligence to ensure this incident is addressed appropriately and the impacted area is cleaned up safely.”
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The blade from a wind turbine fell off and landed in a cranberry bog off Head of the Bay Road in Plymouth on Friday, Nov. 7. (Photo Courtesy Plymouth Fire Department)
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