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Solar PVUnited StatesEIR-1465

Brush fire at FPL solar farm in McDavid

2025Published 28 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

MinorThermal / fireProvisional75 MW
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
Where
First City Solar Energy Center on Cox Road in McDavid
Operator
Florida Power & Light
What
Brush and grass fire reached about 20 acres
Response
Escambia County Fire Rescue responded
Cause
Not reported

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Florida Power and Light

What happened

Escambia County Fire Rescue responded to a brush and grass fire on a Saturday afternoon at Florida Power and Light's First City Solar Energy Center on Cox Road in McDavid. The fire reportedly reached about 20 acres before it was extinguished. The cause was not reported, and there was no report of damage to the solar panels or other equipment.

Contributing factors

The cause was not reported.

Lessons learned

  1. A vegetation fire on a solar farm can cover a large area even when damage to panels or other equipment is not reported.
  2. Site access and vegetation control should let fire crews reach the array without delay.
  3. After a fire, operators should record whether panels, cabling or other equipment were affected, because early reports often leave this unknown.

More lessons on maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Cause of the fire
  • Any damage to solar panels or equipment

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

Source

northescambia.com

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).

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

Solar farm fires: the counts, the latest entries and a free alert for the next one. Also: grass fires and wildfires at solar farms.

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