Halifax Police Department senior officer Justin Boyd (left) and Halifax Police Department officer Jeremy King were recognized at Monday evening’s Halifax County Board of Supervisors’ meeting for performing lifesaving actions on Feb. 21 in the line of duty.
Members of the Ruritan Club of Halifax County join Larry Roller, chair of the Halifax County Board of Supervisors (pictured second from left in the back), in recognizing May 2026 as “Ruritan Awareness Month” in Halifax County.
An electrical short in a solar panel sparked a brush fire at the Water Strider Solar facility in northern Halifax County. The fire burned 14.7 acres of land.
“A few weeks ago, we had a fire at the Water Strider Solar Facility,” Halifax County’s emergency services coordinator Jason Johnson told the board of supervisors at their Monday evening meeting. “There was evidence of an internal electrical short and overheating. Only one panel has damage to it.”
Water Strider Solar is an 80-megawatt solar facility on Stagecoach Road in Nathalie. It has been operational since March 2021.
Johnson told the supervisors that statistically, solar panel fires are “rare.”
North Halifax Volunteer Fire Department reported the “large fire” happened on April 14.
“Most incidents are traced to an isolated component, and that’s what this looks like,” he said. “It looks like a single panel had a short in it…and dropped a small flame out and started a 14-acre fire.”
The damaged solar panel was sent to the manufacturer for forensic testing to determine the cause of the spark.
“Everything is still operational?” Board Chair Larry Roller asked. Johnson confirmed that everything is still operational at the Water Strider Solar facility except the sole panel that sparked the fire. He added there are “thousands” of solar panels at the Water Strider site.
The North Halifax, Liberty and Brookneal fire departments responded to the blaze.
Roller asked Johnson, “How much fuel was there? Was it 3 inches, 4 inches?”
“Most of it (the grass) is knee high,” Johnson responded. “It was a lot of fuel up there for it.”
Johnson added he has talked with the county’s planning and zoning administrator Detrick Easley about re-examining conditions set forth in conditional use permits for solar facilities regarding keeping the grass maintained at a certain level to minimize brush fire risk.
An ongoing drought in Halifax County creating conditions for the fast spread of fire prompted the county to issue an open burn ban effective April 22, which will remain in place while drought conditions persist. The ban prohibits any form of open-air burning, which includes, but is not limited to, the burning of “leaves, brush and/or other vegetation.”
The Water Strider Solar fire also raised questions about the safety of firefighters battling blazes at solar sites.
“What we talked about was not allowing anybody to be on the inside and staying on the outside, because water and DC current don’t mix,” Johnson told the board.
Election District 3 Supervisor Jeff Oakes also noted that Ronnie Waller, chief of the North Halifax Volunteer Fire Department, brought up concerns about perimeter access to the Water Strider Solar Facility.
“That’s a big problem,” Johnson acknowledged. “Not just at that facility but at other facilities, too.”
Johnson explained that the road at the Water Strider Solar facility is 12 feet wide, and he recommended that the road should be widened to 25 feet to allow enough room for two fire trucks to meet each other.
At Monday’s meeting, Johnson also discussed next steps following a fire and EMS study of the county conducted by the Virginia Fire Services Board last year. The study identified the county’s emergency radio communications as a major area in need of improvement. Johnson told the board that he has met with Motorola, the provider for the county’s emergency radio communications system, and they are working with Motorola to determine how to improve the system.
Members of the Ruritan Club of Halifax County join Larry Roller, chair of the Halifax County Board of Supervisors (pictured second from left in the back), in recognizing May 2026 as “Ruritan Awareness Month” in Halifax County.
The board of supervisors took the following actions at their Monday evening meeting:
• approved advertising the tax rates for a public hearing at their current rate for fiscal year 2027,
• approved amending the county ordinance to establish a tourism zone in Halifax County,
• approved making an additional $80,000 contribution to the resurfacing of the Tisha Waller Track, taking the county’s total contribution to the project to $271,000,
• set a public hearing for their May 19 joint meeting with the planning commission to gain public input on a proposal to relocate three polling precincts in the county: Black Walnut, Mt. Carmel and Virgilina. The proposals are to relocate the Black Walnut precinct to the TJM Community Center, relocate the Mt. Carmel precinct to the Turbeville Ruritan Club, and relocate the Virgilina precinct to the Virgilina Volunteer Association Lodge,
• approved the submission of applications for three Virginia Department of Transportation Smart Scale projects – U.S. 58 and Route 751 turn lane improvements, Sinai Road pedestrian project and U.S. 501 and Greens Folly Road intersection improvements,
• approved VDOT’s six-year plan for secondary roads in Halifax County,
Halifax Police Department senior officer Justin Boyd (left) and Halifax Police Department officer Jeremy King were recognized at Monday evening’s Halifax County Board of Supervisors’ meeting for performing lifesaving actions on Feb. 21 in the line of duty.
• approved a recommendation from the policy and personnel committee to adopt a resolution in support of VDOT naming the Highway 92 bridge in memory of Jennifer Nichols. Roller told the board that Nichols, who passed away in February 2021, advocated for the repair of the Highway 92 bridge following its closure and contributed to many causes that benefited her community.
• approved a recommendation from the policy and personnel committee to establish a policy that any board member serving three terms is eligible to have his/her portrait displayed in the board room.
• approved a resolution establishing the county employees’ health care plans for FY 2027 and approving the county incurring the increased employer costs for health insurance allowing employee premiums to remain the same next year.
Miranda Baines is a staff writer for The Gazette-Virginian. Contact her at mbaines@yourgv.com.
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