Rooftop solar panels catch fire at a Jamestown home

What happened

Firefighters from the Jamestown Volunteer Fire Department responded after a fire broke out in rooftop solar panels at a home in Jamestown, Rhode Island. The department said the fire was contained to the panels, did not spread to the roof, and that there were no injuries. No cause was clearly identified. Reporting linked the incident to an electrical fire involving the rooftop system.

Contributing factors

No cause was clearly identified. The incident was described as an electrical fire involving the rooftop system, without a specific fault being named.

Lessons learned

1. An electrical fire in rooftop solar panels stayed within the array and did not reach the roof, so operators should fit remote isolation switches that responders can use before arrival.
2. Rooftop solar arrays can start electrical fires without an obvious fault, so owners should arrange regular thermal scans of connections and inverters.

Not yet known

• Specific fault in the rooftop system
• Model and age of the solar panels
• Cost of repairs or downtime

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Source

thecooldown.com