Solar PVUnited StatesEIR-2062

Rooftop solar system fire at Amazon warehouse in Perryville, Maryland

2021Published 6 Oct 2026

SignificantThermal / fireProvisionalNext update 7 OctNorth America

Reported damage From the sourceReported figureout of service for •• days

From the recordRoot cause Failed part

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Companies named in this entry: Amazon

What happened

In June 2021 a two-alarm fire broke out on a Tuesday afternoon on the roof of the Amazon warehouse in Perryville, Maryland. The Susquehanna Hose Company said the building was evacuated while crews worked to put the fire out. The State Fire Marshal ruled the fire accidental and said it was caused by an issue with the solar panel system on the roof. No one was injured. Officials estimated the damage at 500,000 US dollars.

Contributing factors

The State Fire Marshal said the fire was accidental and was caused by an issue with the rooftop solar panel system. The source does not say which part of the system failed.

Lessons learned

Include rooftop solar on occupied warehouses in the building fire plan, including evacuation if a roof fire starts.
Agree with the local fire service how a rooftop solar system will be identified and isolated during a roof fire.
Once investigators name the failed part of the system, check similar rooftop arrays rather than treating the cause as closed on a general solar finding.

Source

cbsnews.com

Other entries that name Amazon

Solar panel fire forces Amazon warehouse evacuation in West Jefferson EIR-1495 · 2026
Fire reported at an Amazon data centre site in Jerome Township, Ohio EIR-1958 · 2025
Solar system reported to have caught fire at an Amazon warehouse in Redlands EIR-1240 · 2018

Published 2026-10-06. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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