Another set of Tesla-produced residential solar panels have reportedly caught fire on a home in Louisville, Colorado.
FOX 31 Denver reports that a woman in Louisville, Colorado, is warning others about the dangers of solar panels after her Tesla-leased panels burst into flames on the roof of her home. Briana Greer was out of town in August when a fire began on the solar panels, luckily a neighbor was nearby to help Greer put the fire out but not before causing extensive damage to three of the solar panels and the roof.
The panels were leased by Greer from SolarCity, Tesla’s solar panel division which is being sued by Walmart over claims that the company’s solar panels caused fires at multiple stores across the United States. But it’s not just large businesses with industrial solar panels that are facing these fires, multiple homeowners have also had their solar panels burst into flames.
Breitbart News reported in August that retail giant Walmart is suing Elon Musk’s company over a number of roof fires at multiple Walmart stores which the firm alleges were caused by Elon Musk’s solar panels. Walmart is suing for breach of contract and is alleging “gross negligence” on Tesla’s part. Walmart is alleging that fires on the rooftops of stores in California, Maryland, and Ohio were the result of Tesla solar panels. Amazon is claiming that in June 2018, one of the firms warehouses in Redland, California, was set ablaze following a malfunction by a solar panel system installed by Tesla’s SolarCity division.
Individuals that installed Tesla solar panels on their residential homes are claiming that they too are facing fire hazards, just as Greer has. An individual named David Burek found melted connector wiring from the Tesla solar panels installed on the roof of his house in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and called firefighters who discovered that flames had burned through the shingles, roof, and a support beam.
Another man in Waldorf, Maryland, named Ken Tomasello claims a fire broke out at his home that caused a section of the ceiling to crash into the house; the house was so badly damaged that Tomasello and his wife were forced to live in a hotel for more than a year. Both homes had installed Tesla solar rooftop panels.
Tesla has reportedly reached out to homeowners across the U.S. informing them that their rooftop solar panels require preventative maintenance. Tesla claims that these maintenance operations are designed to ensure that the systems last for 10 to 20 years. Burek said he heard from Tesla in October 2018 five months after his solar panels had been removed. Burek stated: “When I called Tesla back, they said our system had been flagged for bad connectors. I told them there was no system to maintain because they’d already caused a fire on my roof.”
Tomasello commented on the Walmart lawsuit stating: “When I heard about the Walmart fires, I wasn’t surprised at all. I’m sure there are other homes that have had experiences similar to ours.” One year after the fire that broke out at his home, Burek posted photos to Facebook stating: “I caution you on using Tesla or any solar company for that matter as while it can certainly save you money it may potentially cost you much much more. To us our family is way more valuable than any amount of money we would ever save.”
FOX31 Problem Solvers reached out to Tesla about Greer’s fire in Louisville, Colorado and was told by the firm that its solar panels are completely safe and very rarely catch fire, in fact, the firm claims that it is much more likely that home lighting and appliances would cause a fire rather than solar panels. Tesla also stated that it was working with Greer’s insurance company to resolve the issue.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or email him at lnolan@breitbart.com
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