VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A wind turbine at the Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach caught fire Monday after being struck by lightning, according to the Virginia Beach Fire Department.
Pictures shared with News 3, taken from the Dockside restaurant on Shore Drive, show one of the center's turbines on fire with a trail of heavy smoke coming from it.
When VBFD's crew arrived, there were no flames, but smoke was coming from the wind turbine, fire officials say.
Fire officials confirmed that the wind turbine was struck by lightning and was smoldering.
The rain put out the fire, and no other structures were involved or impacted, officials say. There were no reported injuries from the incident.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which owns the Brock Center, said the building wasn't damaged when the wind turbine caught on fire.
Chris Gorri, the Brock Center's general manager, shared the following statement:
“At CBF’s Brock Environmental Center, we interact with nature every day. Unfortunately, today lightning struck the west turbine at CBF’s Brock Environmental Center. We are grateful to the Virginia Beach Fire Department for responding so quickly to this incident.
“We are thankful nobody at the Brock Center was harmed during this storm, which reverberated throughout northern Virginia Beach. CBF’s Brock Environmental Center and Pleasure House Point Natural Area did not experience any damage beyond the wind turbine.
“Our priority is always the safety of our staff, students, and visitors. CBF staff and its contractors are assessing the turbines and the property is still open for the public to access.”
The Brock Environmental Center, located at Pleasure House Point, is meant "to engage, inform, and inspire generations about the environment and how we can all help save the Bay," according to the foundation's website.
It boasts being one of the first buildings in the U.S. to embrace energy and water independence.
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