Inverter hut fire at Massachusetts solar farm prompts new safety permit review

On 16 April, an inverter hut caught fire at a 5.6-megawatt solar project on Pratt Corner Road in Shutesbury, Massachusetts. The project is the subject of a special permit held with NextEra Energy, whose representatives attended a later site visit with the Planning Board. Emergency dispatch alerted firefighters at 5:52pm, and crews located the source of the blaze at 6:28pm. According to the fire chief, firefighters had to wait about an hour for capacitors in the inverter equipment to be deenergised before they could apply water. Crews remained on site for several hours and eventually opened the cabinet doors to confirm everything inside had cooled. No injuries were reported in the source. The incident led town officials to question the stated practice of not automatically notifying first responders of inverter fires, and prompted the Planning Board to seek new permit conditions covering fire safety, site access and monitoring.

Firefighters had to wait for capacitors to be deenergised before attacking the fire, delaying the water attack. The site is set back in a remote, wooded area served largely by a volunteer fire department. According to a Planning Board member, NextEra said its best practice is not to inform first responders of an inverter fire. Officials also raised concern about limited stone and hardscape around critical equipment and about grass length later in the season, which could have allowed the fire to spread.

1. Solar operators should establish protocols to promptly notify local fire services of any inverter or electrical equipment fire, regardless of assessed severity.
2. Capacitor discharge times and equipment isolation procedures should be documented and shared in advance with local fire services to inform response planning.
3. Gravel surfaces, regular mowing and adequate nonflammable buffers around critical electrical infrastructure reduce the risk of fire spreading to surrounding vegetation.
4. Site design should include sufficient access points and staging areas for multiple fire appliances, particularly at remote sites served by volunteer fire services.

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