UK wind turbine bursts into flames filling sky with plume of smoke

Firefighters are battling a blaze at a UK wind turbine, with witnesses reporting seeing smoke billowing into the air.

The incident at Coldham Wind Farm in Elm, near Peterborough, was reported at 10am this morning (Sunday, February 2). A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "You may have seen there is a fire involving a wind turbine near Coldham.

"We have firefighters at the scene working hard to extinguish the fire. If you see the flames on your travels, please be assured that we are aware of the fire and have it under control."

People in the area reported seeing clouds of smoke emerging from the wind turbine. Taking to Facebook, one person wrote: "I can see the smoke from here... More CO2."

Another added: "That’s the third one in ten years to catch fire in the fens."

There have been no reported injuries, a spokesperson for Scottish Power has confirmed. They said: "ScottishPower staff at Coldham windfarm reported a fire in a single wind turbine at 10am this morning.

"Nobody was within the vicinity of the turbine at the time of the incident and there were no injuries. Site staff have assisted the fire service and the fire is now extinguished."

The windfarm boasts eight wind turbines, which were de-energised following the incident. Scottish Power is now conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the the incident.

Coldham Wind Farm was built in 2005 as a joint project between Scottish Power Renewables and the Co-Operative Group. According to the Scottish Power website, the Vestas turbines at the site are able to generate a staggering 16 megawatts of green energy.

"Scottish Power Renewables is part of the Scottish Power group of companies operating in the UK under the Iberdrola Group, one of the world’s largest integrated utility companies and a world leader in wind energy," the website adds.