Solar panels cause fire at Charlotte building

Aug 2024Published 28 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

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From the recordRoot cause

Where: building on North Graham Street near Camp North End in north Charlotte
What: fire originated on the roof from the solar panels
Response: 30 firefighters brought the fire under control in 14 minutes
Cause: unspecified abnormal electrical event in the solar panel system

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What happened

A solar panel system caused a fire at a building on North Graham Street near Camp North End in Charlotte. Smoke was seen coming from the structure around 3 p.m. on Sunday. Charlotte Fire crews found the fire originating on the roof. Firefighters used hoses and extinguishers on the roof while checking the building interior. The blaze was brought under control in 14 minutes by 30 firefighters. Investigators attributed the fire to an unspecified abnormal electrical event in the solar panel system.

Contributing factors

Unspecified abnormal electrical event in the solar panel system.

Lessons learned

Rooftop solar electrical faults can ignite a building roof, so isolation and roof access should be planned before crews arrive.
An abnormal electrical event that is not yet specified still warrants inspection of the array and associated wiring after a fire.
Checking both the roof and the interior when smoke is first seen can limit spread.

More lessons on electrical protection and isolation, maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, spacing, layout and fire spread, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

Specific electrical fault in the solar system
Solar panel model and age
Cost of the damage

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

wsoctv.com

Other entries that name Charlotte

Contractor electrocuted at Duke Energy substation in Charlotte EIR-1350 · 2024
Electrical fire at Uptown Charlotte light rail substation disrupts service EIR-2611 · 2024

Published 2026-09-28. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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The record behind this entry

The record behind EIR-1431 holds the root cause and the fire service response as fields you can filter, count and export, with its source and their verification status. The cause is not hidden: the contributing factors above give it as the sources report it. The record adds it as a field. Companies are named in the roles the sources give them. Being named is not a finding of fault.

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Solar PV incidents in the United States: 154 entries, with a free alert for the next one.

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