Grass fire burns under panels at Finley Solar Farm

What happened

On 4 January 2022 a grass fire started at about 9am at the Finley Solar Farm in Australia. Up to five hectares of grassland burnt. Firefighters said there was no structural damage. The panels had been powered off, and crews attacked the fire from outside the array because of safety concerns. A firefighter said the fire was moving out from beneath the panels and was not a major threat, and that some wiring damage was possible but not confirmed.

Five pumpers attended: four from Rural Fire Service brigades in Tocumwal and Finley, and one from Finley Fire and Rescue. Crews were on site for about an hour and a half. The cause was not reported.

Contributing factors

The cause was not reported. Grass under the panels was the fuel that burnt. Crews treated the array as a safety constraint and fought the fire from outside even though the panels had been powered off.

Lessons learned

1. Agree in advance how a grass fire under a ground-mounted array will be fought from outside the panel area, and how the array will be isolated before crews work nearby.
2. Treat any wiring damage after a fire under panels as unconfirmed until it is inspected, and keep the affected area isolated until that check is done.
3. Manage grass fuel under and around arrays so a fire that starts beneath panels is less likely to spread.

Source

sheppnews.com.au