Solar panels catch fire at Alsip dental manufacturing site

What happened

Four solar panels on the roof of a dental manufacturing company in Alsip caught fire on a Saturday afternoon. The fire was reported just after 12.30 pm at the site in the 3700 block of W 127th Street. The panels and part of the roof were involved. Fire crews put the fire out and stopped it spreading. No injuries were reported. The cause was still under investigation.

Contributing factors

The cause had not been established at the time of reporting.

Lessons learned

1. A fire in a small number of rooftop panels can still involve the roof covering, so isolation points and safe roof access should be known before an incident.
2. Early detection and a prompt fire-service response limited spread here; occupied commercial roofs need a clear way to raise the alarm.
3. While the cause is under investigation, do not assume a single component failed, and keep the scene and records available to investigators.

Source

fox32chicago.com