Solar Panel Fire Damages Toms River Home

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A fire in a solar panel left a Toms River uninhabitable, authorities said.

The fire in the two-story home was responded to by the East Dover Fire Company, Island Heights Fire Company and Toms River Fire Company 2 Rapid Intervention Team, said Matthew Janora, chief inspector with the Toms River Bureau of Fire Safety.

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Flames were visible from the back of the roof and firefighters started working to extinguish them, Janora said.

While the call was initially upgraded to a second alarm, the firefighters were able to quickly bring the fire under control and the additional units were canceled, Janora said.

The fire, which remained under investigation, has been deemed accidental and was determined to have originated from an electrical failure in the area of the rooftop solar panels, he said.

Damage from the fire and the loss of electrical service resulted in the home being deemed unsafe for occupancy by the Toms River Building Department, Janora said.