Solar panel fire forces evacuation at Amazon warehouse in West Jefferson

What happened

On 8 April 2026, a fire in solar panels on the roof of the Amazon Fulfillment Center at 1550 W. Main St., West Jefferson, Ohio, forced evacuation of the building. Firefighters from several departments, led by Jefferson Township Fire Department, were called at about 12:10 p.m. on a report of a roof fire. Investigators believe 75 to 100 panels caught fire, but said the investigation was still at an early stage.

Reported damage was limited: a small area of roof membrane and insulation, with material falling onto about two racks of product inside, and more water damage than fire or smoke damage. No injuries were reported. Amazon said employees were sent home for the rest of the day. No damage estimate was available.

Contributing factors

The cause of the panel fire has not been reported. Investigators said they were still in the early stages of the investigation.

Lessons learned

1. Rooftop solar arrays on warehouses need early detection and roof access plans, as fires can spread across panels before ground crews arrive.
2. Water from roof fires can reach stock below, so incident plans must cover both fire and water damage to goods.
3. Initial counts of affected panels can change during investigation, so operators should verify damage before final reporting.

Not yet known

• Exact cause of the panel fire
• Solar panel model and age
• Cost of the damage
• Duration of site downtime

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

Source

dispatch.com