Grass fire threatens solar panel field in Bay County
Sept 2026Published 30 Sept 2026
Companies named in this entry: Florida Power and Light
What happened
On the evening of 29 September 2026, a grass fire broke out at about 6:30 at a Florida Power and Light solar facility on Linger Longer Road near Beer Creek in northern Bay County, Florida. Bay County and State Forestry firefighters responded. A fire captain said the grass underneath the panels caught fire. A Bay County sheriff's helicopter dropped water on the flames. At the time of the report the fire was out and crews were mopping up, while forestry officials were cutting a fire line in case it flared up again. There was no word on whether the panels were damaged. The cause was still under investigation.
Contributing factors
The cause had not been established. The only mechanism described was grass underneath the panels catching fire.
Lessons learned
- Dry grass under ground-mounted panels can carry fire into an array even if the panels are not the reported origin.
- Aerial water drops and a fire line can help contain a grass fire at a solar site while crews watch for flare-ups.
- Until damage and cause are known, treat panel condition and reignition risk as unconfirmed.
Source
Published 2026-09-30. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.