Solar panel the likely cause of a small house fire in Cornelius, Oregon

A report dated 7 May 2018 said a small fire started at about 12:30 p.m. that Monday at a home on S 26th Avenue in Cornelius, Oregon. Fire officials said a solar panel was the likely cause, and that the fire burned roof tiles and the panel. No one was hurt. The department said it was the first fire involving a solar panel that anyone there could recall. The homeowner told firefighters the system had been installed about two months earlier.

Firefighters said the solar panel was the only thing on the roof that could have started the fire, but they did not confirm how it started. A possible installation defect was left open from the homeowner's account and was not confirmed. A technician from the company that installed the panels, which was not named, suggested a malfunctioning rapid shutdown device. That suggestion was also not confirmed.

1. A reported rooftop solar fire should not be treated as proof that a particular device failed until the cause is established.
2. Fire services need procedures for ventilating a roof without cutting through solar panels, which may remain electrically live.
3. New residential systems should still be checked after installation, because a defect may not be obvious until the system is in use.

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