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Solar PVUnited StatesEIR-1443

Solar panel fire on Madison home roof extinguished by firefighters

Apr 2024Published 28 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

MinorThermal / fire
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersMedium confidence
out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordRoot cause hidden
Where
Madison home roof
What
Solar panel fire on roof of house
Response
Madison Fire Department isolated power and extinguished flames
Cause
Radiant heat from the solar panel, possible squirrel contribution

What happened

The Madison Fire Department responded to a fire reported at approximately 2:45 p.m. on a single-family home. Smoke and flames were coming from a solar panel on the roof of the wood-framed structure. Firefighters shut off power to the panels, extinguished the flames and confirmed the fire did not spread to the home. MG&E also attended. The cause was determined to be radiant heat from the solar panel, with a squirrel observed running from under the panels possibly contributing. No injuries were reported.

Contributing factors

Radiant heat from the solar panel; possible involvement of a squirrel under the panels.

Lessons learned

  1. Isolate power to solar arrays promptly on arrival at rooftop incidents.
  2. Inspect for wildlife or debris under arrays during maintenance.
  3. Confirm fire has not spread into the building structure before declaring incident under control.

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

  • Solar panel model and age
  • Cost of damage or repair
  • Any downtime to the home power supply

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

Source

wkow.com

Other entries that name Madison

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

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Chart to reuse with this story: Solar PV incidents in the United States, by year, free with a credit (PNG).

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Solar farm fires: the counts, the latest entries and a free alert for the next one. Also: rooftop solar fires.

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