Rooftop solar panels catch fire at a Perkins Way business in Newburyport
Feb 2022Published 6 Oct 2026
What happened
On Saturday morning, 12 February 2022, firefighters in Newburyport responded to solar panels on fire at a business on Perkins Way. Crews found smoke and flames coming from a 150-foot by 60-foot array of solar panels on the roof. Several dozen workers who had been inside left safely before firefighters arrived, and no injuries were reported. It took about 40 minutes to put the fire out. Fire damage was limited to the roof and the solar panels, though the building also suffered water damage from firefighting.
Three alarms were called and crews from surrounding communities responded. Damage was estimated at 2 to 4 million US dollars. The cause was not reported.
Contributing factors
The cause was not reported. The fire involved a large rooftop solar array on an occupied commercial building, and water used to fight it reached the building.
Lessons learned
- Treat a rooftop PV array as part of the building fire risk, because an array fire can damage the roof and firefighting water can damage what is below.
- Give firefighters clear information on array layout, isolation points and roof access so a rooftop array fire can be attacked quickly.
- Keep evacuation arrangements for occupied buildings with rooftop PV ready to use, because people may need to leave before crews arrive.
Source
Other entries that name Newburyport
Published 2026-10-06. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.