Rooftop solar panels catch fire again on Hobby Lobby store in Holmdel

What happened

Just after 11am on Saturday 27 March 2021, Holmdel Police responded to a roof fire at the Hobby Lobby store on Route 35 in Holmdel, New Jersey, United States, where some of the solar panels on the roof had caught fire and dark smoke was billowing from the roof. Officers evacuated the store and the other businesses in the shopping centre. Holmdel firefighters and several other local fire crews put out the flames.

One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion and released. The other businesses later reopened. The Monmouth County Fire Marshal's Office investigated, but no cause had been given at the time of the report. It was the second time since May 2020 that solar panels had caught fire on the same building.

Contributing factors

The cause was not reported. This was the second solar panel fire on the same building in under a year, which the report notes but does not explain.

Lessons learned

1. After any rooftop PV fire, find and fix the root cause and inspect the whole array before it is re-energised, as a repeat fire on the same roof suggests the underlying fault was not removed.
2. Keep records of repairs and replacement components after a fire so that a repeat can be traced.
3. Agree evacuation arrangements for shared retail sites, since a rooftop fire on one unit can close neighbouring businesses.

Source

nj1015.com