SOUTH KOREA – Three Maintenance Workers Killed in Wind Turbine Fire During Maintenance Operations at Yeongdeok Wind Farm
Three contract maintenance workers were killed on Monday 23 March after a fire broke out inside a wind turbine at the Changpo Wind Power Complex in Yeongdeok County, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. All three were found dead inside the turbine structure after contact with them was lost following the outbreak of fire. Burning blade sections detached from the turbine and fell to the ground, igniting a hillside wildfire that required a major multi-agency suppression response.
Incident Details
The fire started at approximately 13:11 local time at Turbine No. 19 within the wind farm complex located in Changpo-ri, Yeongdeok-eup, Yeongdeok County, roughly 240 kilometres southeast of Seoul. The three workers, all employees of a subcontractor specialising in the maintenance and repair of wind turbine blade drive systems, had been on site since 09:00 that morning conducting inspection and dismantling work on the turbine.
Contact with the workers was lost shortly after the fire broke out. One worker was initially confirmed dead at the scene, while two others were reported as unreachable. Their deaths were subsequently confirmed by the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency during firefighting and search operations inside the turbine structure.
According to industry sources cited by the Seoul Economic Daily, the turbine involved is an older model that has been in operation for an extended period. Workers were required to enter the structure and climb internal ladders rather than use an elevator to reach the maintenance work area, a detail likely to raise questions in any subsequent investigation into the adequacy of emergency egress provisions.
Fire Spread and Emergency Response
Two of the turbine’s three rotor blades caught fire and subsequently broke away from the nacelle, falling to the ground and igniting surrounding hillside vegetation. Firefighting access to the turbine itself was severely hampered while the blaze continued, and nearby roads were closed due to the risk of further debris falling from the structure, including blade fragments.
Authorities deployed a substantial emergency response comprising 15 helicopters, 50 items of ground-based firefighting equipment, and 148 personnel for combined structural and wildfire suppression operations. As of Monday afternoon, the wildfire component had been approximately 70–80 per cent contained, though fire authorities reported that black smoke continued to rise from the wreckage of the burned turbine.
Investigation
Fire and police authorities have stated they will launch a formal investigation into the cause of the fire once both the turbine fire and the associated hillside blaze are fully extinguished. No cause has been confirmed at this stage.
Context: Yeongdeok Wind Farm Safety Record
The turbine that caught fire is reported to be located approximately one kilometre from another turbine at the same Changpo Wind Power Complex whose support tower buckled and collapsed onto a road on 2 February 2026. That earlier incident, which did not result in casualties, involved a 21-year-old Vestas unit and raised significant concerns about ageing wind energy infrastructure in South Korea. The Changpo complex was completed in 2005 and comprises 24 generators rated at 1,650 kW each.
Monday’s fatal fire adds to a growing series of wind turbine incidents in South Korea. Industry data indicates that three wind turbine incidents occurred in 2025, with a further three recorded in the first two months of 2026 alone — prior to this latest event. The pattern has intensified public and regulatory scrutiny of wind farm safety standards across the country.
Photo credit: Yeongdeok County Fire Authority. All rights reserved.