Rooftop fire damages solar array at Northridge Target store

What happened

A fire broke out on the roof of a Target store in Northridge, Los Angeles, on Saturday 24 June 2023. Firefighters were dispatched at 11:24 am and had the fire out by 11:45 am, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The fire damaged an array of solar panels on the one-storey commercial building. The Los Angeles Fire Department said the fire did not appear to have penetrated the roof into the attic or structure. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was under investigation at the time of reporting.

Contributing factors

The cause had not been determined at the time of reporting and was under investigation. No other contributing factors were reported.

Lessons learned

1. Fire response plans for commercial buildings with rooftop solar should identify array layout, DC cabling routes and isolation points so that firefighters can work safely on the roof.
2. Operators should confirm that rooftop PV arrays are included in the building's fire risk assessment and that any fire on the roof is reported to the array's owner or maintainer promptly.
3. After any roof fire involving PV, operators should inspect the array, cabling and connectors for heat damage before re-energising the system.

More lessons on fire suppression and firefighting, maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, from every incident on the register.

Source

abc7.com