Article from the Irish Journal, dated 13th July 2014.

A FLAMING WIND turbine blade almost sparked a forest fire in Cork after it was thrown several metres from the machine.

The cause of the fire the wind farm in Cork is currently under investigation.

A flaming 28-metre-long blade from one of the turbines flew as far as 100 metres away from the machine and landed close to nearby gorse and forestry.

The turbine, a Gamesa G58, is a common model in operation across the world, but industry experts say it has 'a strong safety record'.

The incident occurred at the Cappaboy Beg Wind Farm in Co Cork on 19 June.

A spokesperson for Bantry Fire Station told TheJournal.ie their main aim was to contain this fire, to ensure it didn't spread to forest and gorse. The turbine was completely destroyed.

They said it took 'a couple of hours' to bring the blaze under control due to dry conditions caused by a spell of good weather.

Similar incidents, known as "blade throws", can often occur during very high wind speeds.

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