New Jersey firefighters were unable to save a warehouse due to the building's 7,000 solar panels, according to local reports.
The fire chief on scene refused to allow firefighters on top of the building due to multiple hazards posed by the building's solar panels.
According to the Star Ledger:
Essentially, solar panels, comprised of photoelectric cells, generate electricity from solar radiation, and any kind of light at all, said Willette, will activate the panels, including "streetlights, floodlights, even firefighters’ flashlights. Those panels are extremely efficient."
Those fighting the Dietz & Watson blaze were hampered by water supply issues, too, according to Kramer, and even as much of the fire had died out by today, the building was still being doused with water from fire hoses.
Electric shock and slipping and tripping on solar panel roof displays are just two of a number of potential hazards in fighting fires at "green" structures, say experts. Others include structural collapse because of the weight of the panels on the roof and inhalation exposure as solar batteries exposed to fire are capable of generating extremely caustic fumes and gases.
Firefighters must be able to cut large holes in a roof to successfully ventilate smoke from a structure and control the fire's path.
"We may very well not be able to save buildings that have alternative energy," New Jersey’s acting Fire Marshall William Kramer said to the Star Ledger.