Hoffman Estates firefighters responded to a report of smoke that turned out to be a solar panel that had caught fire on the back of a two-story, single-family home on the 4300 block of Huntington Boulevard at 1:55 p.m. Wednesday.
Fire Chief Alan Wax said a passerby made the initial report, but it was the crew that arrived at 1:58 p.m. discovering the solar panel to be the source.
Power to the solar panel was cut and the fire was under control by 2:05 p.m., Wax said. There was no significant damage to the structure of the house, but the solar panel itself will require replacement.
Wax said solar panel fires are not common. The cause of this one remains under investigation.