A Graham County man lost all his belongings in a residential fire on Monday that reportedly started in the occupant’s off-grid solar/battery system. Pictured are lithium-ion batteries used in such a setup for illustration.
By Jon Johnson
GRAHAM COUNTY – A man living with an off-grid setup for his recreational vehicle camper lost his home, two vehicles, and all his belongings in an electrical fire on Monday.
According to police and fire reports, the fire began at the electrical wires connected to batteries that gathered power from solar panels. Safford Fire Chief Clark Bingham said the solar setup appeared to be installed by the occupant and was not a certified solar installation.
The homeowner told a Graham County deputy that he had 19 lithium-ion batteries connected to his solar panels and he assumed the batteries caused the fire.
The Safford Fire Department was dispatched at about 4:20 p.m. to the scene off Maverick Avenue east of Safford near the San Jose area.
Safford Fire ran two engines and one water tender and used roughly 3,750 gallons of water to quench the blaze. The fire was contained to the single property, however two passenger vehicles were also burned along with the motorhome and solar panels.
Volunteer firefighters spent about an hour and a half on the fire and had no reported injuries. The American Red Cross assisted the homeowner, who lost everything he had in the fire and made it out in only his robe. The occupant advised he did not have insurance on the motorhome.
