A 5-alarm fire hit the Medline warehouse in Tracy, CA this afternoon. This warehouse is about 1 million sq ft. The entire structure was a complete loss. It appears to have spread fast and the initial reports seem to indicate the fire started on the roof. A quick check of the satellite view shows hundreds of solar panels on the roof (37°44'04.0"N 121°30'40.0"W). While it is way too early for a definitive cause, it will be interesting to see if it was solar related.

"Tracy Fire Chief Randall Bradley said when firefighters made entry into the Medline Inc. warehouse, the sprinkler system was not operating. Chief Bradley also mentioned that fire hydrants were not providing good pressure, which hindered their ability to attack the fire."

From here https://www.kcra.com/article/video-flames-sparks-warehouse-fire-tracy-medline-industries/71565719

Source could have been the solar panels or HVAC units on the roof.

Inoperable sprinklers and low hydrant pressure (apparently from a private water source) made life impossible for the emergency services.

I got all mine spread out on 4 free standing roofs, not connected to any house or bungalow. Did read quite a bit about fires caused by solar roof panels, and also I need to change roof in 7-10 years, so much better to have them on free standing roofs

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Hummin

There are certainly concerns in the UK regarding rooftop installations.

Ours (along with the batteries and inverters) are on the car port or chook house.