Roof-mounted solar panels linked to house fire in southwest Columbia

What happened

Fire crews responded on Saturday to a structure fire at a house in the 4900 block of Craydon Drive in southwest Columbia. A fire department press release said the fire was accidental, with the cause determined to be electrical and related to roof-mounted solar panels. Crews reported a working fire on the roof, and the loss was described as predominantly confined to the attic. No injuries were reported. The home was said to be occupied by a family of four. A second alarm was called because of fire progression in the attic. Heat was also reported to have affected the response, with extra crews used to rotate firefighters.

Contributing factors

The fire service reported an electrical cause related to roof-mounted solar panels. It was also reported that alarms did not activate and that two occupants inside did not notice the fire. High ambient temperatures were reported to have affected firefighting operations.

Lessons learned

1. An electrical fault associated with roof-mounted solar panels can involve the roof and attic, where access is difficult.
2. Hot weather can increase the resources needed to rotate crews during a structure fire.
3. Occupants may not notice a roof fire early if alarms do not sound.

More lessons on weather and external hazards, detection and monitoring, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

• Specific component that failed
• Solar panel model and age
• Cost of damage and downtime

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

Source

abc17news.com