An equipment malfunction prompted a response from the Cartersville Fire Department Monday evening at the Qcells solar manufacturing facility.
Fire Chief Hagan Champion said firefighters were called to the plant around 5:19 p.m. after a fire broke out inside machinery used to produce silicon ingots, a key component in solar panel manufacturing.
According to Champion, defective silicon ingots can occasionally drop to the bottom of the production equipment, where the intense heat creates molten material capable of starting a fire. Firefighters entered the facility, brought the blaze under control, secured the affected equipment and cooled the area before returning the operation to Qcells personnel.
No injuries were reported as a result of the incident.
Champion noted that crews responded to a nearly identical incident involving the same manufacturing process at the Cartersville plant several weeks ago.
The Qcells facility is one of the company’s flagship manufacturing operations and is designed to produce nearly every major component used in solar panels, including ingots, wafers, solar cells and finished panels, all under one roof.
The company recently began manufacturing solar cells at the Bartow County plant as it continues increasing production.
