Solar panel fire forces remote learning at Olympia schools

What happened

Solar panels at Olympia high school and middle school in Illinois caught fire on 13 April 2023. A fire chief told another outlet that crews kept the fire under control with extinguishers until a certified solar electrician disconnected a malfunctioning inverter. Students were evacuated and were safe. Crews had the fire under control in 23 minutes. The schools then continued remote learning for the week of 24 to 28 April. Whether pupils returned later that school year was not reported.

Contributing factors

The only fault described is a malfunctioning inverter, which a certified solar electrician disconnected. Why the inverter malfunctioned was not reported. A commentator, not the fire service, said the arrays were electrified and that there was little space between them for firefighters.

Lessons learned

1. Plan access around rooftop solar arrays so firefighters can work without striking live equipment.
2. Be ready to call a qualified solar electrician to isolate an inverter when crews cannot safely disconnect it.
3. Treat an inverter fault as an isolation and scene-control issue until an investigation establishes the cause.

Source

cities929.com