The loss from a wind turbine fire north of Mendota is estimated at $2 million. Mendota Fire Chief Dennis Rutishauser says owner Leeward Renewable Energy had plans to decommission and repower the turbine this year. It had been there since 2007.
Fire fighters let the fire burn itself out last night, because local departments aren’t equipped to fight such fires. Part of N. 48th Rd. by E. 3rd Rd. was closed overnight, first to give fire fighters access and later because of debris on the roadway. That’s on the county line between Lee and LaSalle counties. Rutishauser says the road will reopen after the company clears the burned debris.