Two rooftop solar panels started a fire Tuesday at The Covenant at Murray Mansion, a wedding and event venue at 2219 Washington Ave.
Racine firefighters responded to the call at 12:14 p.m. Business owner Kathy Meyer said afterward that she was told a police officer saw the fire and reported it.
Flames were showing at the ridge line when firefighters arrived at the large event venue — the former site of Our Savior Lutheran Church — at the corner of Washington and Taylor avenues, said Racine Fire Department Battalion Chief Paul Madden.
Photovoltaic panels create electricity and started an electrical fire. The problem in dealing with that type of fire, Madden explained, is that photovoltaic panels are always generating electricity, even on a cloudy day such as Tuesday. “There’s no way to shut them off.”