Nantucket beaches closed for swimming due to broken wind turbine blades

NANTUCKET – Several beaches were closed on Tuesday while crews worked to clean up "large floating debris and fiberglass shards" from a broken wind turbine blade off the coast of Martha's Vineyard .

A total of six south shore Nantucket beaches were closed to swimming due to debris that washed ashore.

"You can walk on the beaches, however we strongly recommend you wear footwear due to sharp, fiberglass shards and debris on the beaches," the Nantucket Harbormaster said.

Vineyard Wind turbine breaks

The Vineyard Wind turbine suffered blade damage Saturday night. No one was hurt, but large chunks of the blade began washing onto the beaches in the area in the days that followed.

"Vineyard Wind is fully committed to a swift and safe recovery of all debris, with an unwavering focus on community safety and environmental protection," Vineyard Wind said in a statement. "As part of its immediate action plan, Vineyard Wind communicated with officials on Nantucket to inform them of the presence of debris and recovery efforts on the southern-facing beaches of the island."

Crews could be seen Tuesday afternoon removing pieces of fiberglass from the beach.

Nantucket beaches closed for cleanup

Vineyard Wind said it has two recovery teams consisting of four people on Nantucket to remove the debris.

The turbine blades are made of non-toxic fiberglass. Fragments can vary in size and are usually green or white.

Vineyard Wind said that while the fiberglass is not hazardous to people or the environment, beachgoers should not pick up the debris on their own.