Villager's weed burning spreads to Guizhou solar base
Feb 2023Published 20 Oct 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
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What happened
In February 2023, a villager in Qinglong County, Guizhou, China, burned weeds in his own field to clear them. The fire ignited nearby grass, spread, and reached an adjacent photovoltaic (solar) base. The area burned was 47 mu (about 3.1 hectares). The source describes economic losses to several people but gives no figure for damage to the solar plant. It does not state the outage duration or the fire service response.
According to the article, the person responsible compensated the losses, the fire was extinguished, and a fine of 200 yuan was referenced in connection with the case. Charred ground remained visible at the solar base. The article uses the case to argue for autumn weed clearance at solar sites, because dry vegetation can act as fuel once ignited.
Contributing factors
The source states that the fire started from deliberate burning of weeds in a field next to the solar base, and that the flames spread through nearby grass to the site. The solar base lies adjacent to farmland. The article notes that autumn and winter conditions are dry with little rain, and that wind carries embers so that dry grass can carry fire from field edges into solar sites within minutes. The source does not state the wind conditions on the day.
Lessons learned
- Clear vegetation within and around solar sites on a planned schedule and remove cut material from the site rather than leaving it in piles.
- Maintain firebreaks along site boundaries and use access roads as firebreaks where possible.
- Coordinate with local forest fire authorities and increase patrols during periods of agricultural burning and seasonal fire risk.
- Keep a clear distance of at least 3 metres from equipment during weeding, and prohibit open flames and smoking on site.
More lessons on maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, spacing, layout and fire spread, from every incident on the register.
Source
Published 2026-10-20. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
