Two solar panels catch fire on Middletown commercial building roof
Sept 2024Published 25 Oct 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
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What happened
On a Friday afternoon in September 2024, a fire broke out on the roof of a commercial building on Palmer Avenue in North Middletown, New Jersey. The Middletown Township Fire Department was called at 3:50 p.m. to reports of heavy smoke from the roof of a commercial structure in the 600 block of Palmer Avenue. Volunteers from East Keansburg Fire Company and Port Monmouth Fire Company responded. Firefighters found two solar panels on fire.
Crews used a power ladder to reach the roof and extinguished the fire quickly, confirming that it had not spread to other parts of the building. A total of 23 firefighters attended. The Middletown Township Fire Marshal's office is investigating the fire. The cause has not been reported.
Lessons learned
- Rooftop solar arrays should have clearly marked isolation points so that responders can de-energise panels before working on the roof.
- Smoke reported from a roof should be treated as a possible array fire, with ladder access to the roof planned in advance.
- Operators should record the cause of any array fire and share findings so that other owners can check wiring, connectors and inverters for similar faults.
More lessons on electrical protection and isolation, emergency response and public communication, maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, from every incident on the register.
Source
Published 2026-10-25. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
