TOWN OF FULTON — Authorities say a blaze driven by strong winds ignited about 10 acres of grass beneath the North Rock Solar Farm in the town of Fulton on Monday.
Lakeside Fire-Rescue said crews were called out at about 12:30 Monday afternoon for reports of a grass fire burning beneath solar panels at the solar farm off West Pomeroy Road and County M in the town of Fulton.
Fire crews used brush fire tank trucks to knock down the blaze, which they said was driven by strong winds.
North Rock Solar Farm is a 50-megawatt, 475-acre solar farm with about 120,000 panels that’s operated by Alliant Energy.
Lakeside Deputy Fire Chief Brandon Whitmore said fire crews soaked the ground in areas between solar arrays, and used hand tools to cut the fire down.
He said fire suppression appeared to keep flames close to the ground, well below the solar panels and attached electrical wiring, which he says stand between three and seven feet off the ground.
Whitmore says there was no apparent damage to any solar equipment. He say fire crews would tend not to spray solar equipment if it did catch on fire, because solar equipment has a constant electrical charge, making it dangerous for firefighters to put water on it.
The fire department said in a written alert that multiple local fire crews joined in to knock the fire down quickly. All told, the fire burned about 10 acres of grass under panels at the solar farm.
Officials are still investigating what caused the fire.
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JANESVILLE – The Rock County Medical Examiner’s Department has released the name of a 55-year-old Beloit man who died as a result of a steam explosion at NaturPak in Janesville on March 18.
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