Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..
Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Updated: January 9, 2026 @ 6:18 pm
A fire occurred at a solar installation Wednesday in Northampton County.
An aerial photo shows smoke drifting through wooded areas adjacent to a solar farm near Cal Floyd Road after a wildfire spread from the facility into surrounding forestland, burning about 45 acres Wednesday.
An infrared aerial image highlights heat signatures from the wildfire as it burned through wooded areas near a solar installation.
A North Carolina Forest Service bulldozer plows a trench along the edge of a solar field as crews work to contain a wildfire that spread into nearby woods.
A hole cut into a chain-link fence at a solar facility near Cal Floyd Road is marked with ribbon, which is the suspected entry for trespassers, according to officials.
Firefighters spray water along the tree line near a solar facility as crews work to prevent the wildfire from spreading toward nearby homes.
Low flames burn beneath solar panels where dry grass ignited inside the solar field on Wednesday.
Smoke could be seen around rows of solar panels after a wildfire broke out at the site and spread into surrounding woods.
A fire occurred at a solar installation Wednesday in Northampton County.
An aerial photo shows smoke drifting through wooded areas adjacent to a solar farm near Cal Floyd Road after a wildfire spread from the facility into surrounding forestland, burning about 45 acres Wednesday.
An infrared aerial image highlights heat signatures from the wildfire as it burned through wooded areas near a solar installation.
A North Carolina Forest Service bulldozer plows a trench along the edge of a solar field as crews work to contain a wildfire that spread into nearby woods.
A hole cut into a chain-link fence at a solar facility near Cal Floyd Road is marked with ribbon, which is the suspected entry for trespassers, according to officials.
Firefighters spray water along the tree line near a solar facility as crews work to prevent the wildfire from spreading toward nearby homes.
Low flames burn beneath solar panels where dry grass ignited inside the solar field on Wednesday.
Smoke could be seen around rows of solar panels after a wildfire broke out at the site and spread into surrounding woods.
Firefighters and North Carolina Forest Service personnel from Warren and Northampton counties battled a wildfire Wednesday that began at a solar farm and spread into nearby woods, threatening residential areas.
According to Northampton County Ranger Rodney Black of the North Carolina Forest Service, the fire started inside a solar installation operated by ACT Power Services near Cal Floyd Road in Northampton County and ultimately burned about 45 acres, including roughly 15 acres of surrounding woodland.
Black said the fire was not caused by equipment malfunction or intentional burning, but evidence suggests it may have been sparked by wire theft, with arcing or sparks from cut electrical wires igniting dry, cured grass beneath the solar panels. Strong west winds then pushed the fire rapidly east and north-northeast toward Gus Smith Road, he said.
“There are three holes cut through the fence, so people are cutting holes in the chain-link fence and then stealing wire off the back of the solar panels,” Black said. “If the sun is shining and that thing’s generating power, whatever wire they cut — if it makes contact, arcs out or sparks and hits the ground — that dry grass this time of year is going to start a fire.”
Black said wire theft at solar fields is a recurring problem.
“People break in there all the time, and they’re stealing wire,” he said. “Photos show the spans of wire before they get stolen, and then panels that are stripped.”
He said flames inside the solar field burned at about one foot high due to short grass, allowing crews to focus on containment by using bulldozers to plow firebreaks around the perimeter and into the wooded areas.
“Long story short, we held it within our containment lines with the bulldozers, and thank goodness it went down into a wet area that had a little bit of water in it,” Black said. “It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make the fire quit running.”
Black said flames in the wooded areas reached about 20 feet, but crews successfully prevented the fire from reaching nearby homes.
“People’s lives are our number one priority,” he said.
Gaston Fire and Rescue Chief Eddie Porter said his department responded alongside the Roanoke Wildwood Volunteer Fire Department. About 30 firefighters worked the scene for several hours, with the fire fully under control by approximately 5:30 p.m.
“Great teamwork,” Porter said. “Everybody worked together.”
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