Fire involving solar panels damages Twin Cities home
Several surrounding fire departments responded to smoke and fire coming from a home in Savage, Minnesota, Tuesday afternoon. The damaged roof is now covered in a blue tarp contains solar panels.
"My understanding was the homeowner made the discovery, and he also made some initial attempts to suppress that fire," said Jeremy Bresnahan, chief and emergency manager of the Savage Fire Department. "We have heard of solar panel fires in the fire service."
Bresnahan says they're still working to officially determine that solar panels were the cause.
The U.S. Department of Energy says solar systems spontaneously bursting into flames is an extremely rare occurrence. But design flaws, component defects and faulty installation can cause a rooftop solar system to start a fire.
Martin Morud's company TruNorth Solar has been doing residential and commercial solar installs for more than 15 years.
"The picture itself is scary, and anybody with solar might be looking you know have some uncertainty," Morud said. "It can happen and it does happen, but it's extremely rare to see a fire like this."
Morud says the panels themselves aren't electrically active. It would have to be something else, like wiring, to spark a fire.
"Solar is incredibly safe when it's installed by solar professionals who have been through all the training and favor quality over speed," Morud said.
He says anyone with concerns should ask their installer for a Quality Assurance, Quality Control checklist, also known as a QAQC. It assures the solar install follows proper standards.
"I truly believe that solar panels are safe," Bresnahan said. "I think this was a localized incident and one that needs to be further investigated."