Fire investigators say that an electrical failure in a solar panel system on the roof of a Hainesville home caused a fire that displaced the residents Monday morning.
The Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District and Grayslake-Hainesville Police Department responded around 10:55 a.m. Monday to the 100 block of Clover Court in Hainesville for a report of a house fire.
Emergency responders arrived to find smoke and fire coming from the roof of the two-story house.
Firefighters pulled fire suppression operations and quickly extinguished the fire in around 20 minutes after arriving.
No one was injured.
Based on examinations, damage assessments, fire patterns and witness statements, investigators determined the fire originated from the solar photovoltaic system mounted on the roof of the home, Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District Fire Marshal Tony Breuscher said.
Investigators learned the solar panel system was installed by Titan Solar Power, which was one of the largest residential solar companies in the country.
Founded in 2013, Titan Solar Power filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Arizona and ceased operations in June 2024.
Investigators found evidence of energized electrical activity, electrical arcing involving the components and wiring, and electrical failure within the solar panel system.
“The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental in nature, related to energized electrical activity associated with the solar panel system,” Breuscher said.
The fire spread from the solar panel system to the roof assembly of the home.
The house is uninhabitable, Bresucher added.