YUMA (AZFamily) — Arizona is currently home to about 100 solar farms, with several of those massive facilities operating right here in Yuma. While clean energy continues to expand across the region, fire safety experts warn that though solar-related fires are rare, they present intense, highly volatile hazards that can take days to control when they do ignite.
Just across the Arizona-California state line, firefighters battled a massive blaze Wednesday at the Mount Signal One Solar Plant. Local crews say fighting these unique electrical and chemical fires requires entirely different tactics compared to traditional structure blazes.
“Fires when they involve hazardous materials basically force us to slow down our stride,” said Cedric Cesena of the Imperial County Fire Department. “We have to ensure we are talking and looking with the technical experts who have the technical references that we can use.”
Many solar installations utilize lithium-ion batteries to store vast amounts of electricity. While highly efficient, that concentrated energy can become unstable. According to firefighters, these thermal runaway events can reach temperatures of up to 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lithium-ion battery failures have been blamed for a growing list of emergencies nationally, including golf cart, garage, car, airplane, and commercial building fires. When these chemical liquids are involved in a blaze, conventional firefighting methods do not work.
“We are not going to apply high amounts of water,” Cesena explained regarding their tactics. “We are going to actually apply large amounts of foam. That is going to help us create a layer over it and remove the oxygen from the equation, therefore putting the fire out.”
The danger of solar-related fires isn’t confined to multi-acre utility plants. It can hit close to home.
In June, a 76-year-old woman was killed in a Glendale, Arizona, house fire. The Glendale Fire Department confirmed the backyard blaze was caused by an electrical malfunction. Cameras at the scene captured the entire property caked in black soot and ash, with solar panels and dozens of wires strewn across the yard.
A source with knowledge of the investigation said the fatal fire was tied to a homeowner assembling a do-it-yourself (DIY) solar panel installation, which included a lithium battery system.
Because of these chemical complexities, fire officials emphasize that preparation is key to saving lives and protecting property.
Cesena noted that handling these specific hazards requires having a comprehensive response plan in place long before a fire ever sparks. He added that extreme desert heat plays a significant role in fueling the flames, making rapid containment even more critical.
Despite the high stakes, local first responders say they are in a much better position to safely respond to emergencies at these clean energy facilities today than they were just a few years ago due to advanced training and specialized equipment.
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