Depew fire chief reports solar-farm inverter fire contained; new apparatus arriving and junior firefighter recruits joining department

Fire Chief Bridal Musilak told the Village of Depew Board of Trustees on July 14 that crews contained a recent fire at a nearby solar installation to a single inverter and panel, and that an investigation into the cause is under way.

"We were able to contain it to that one solar panel and that inverter," Musilak said. He described the incident as the first inverter failure their solar contractor had reported across roughly 322 similarly built facilities, and said the contractor and village are working closely to identify safeguards.

Musilak said the department’s biggest on-scene concern in these incidents is preventing fire spread from panel to panel and avoiding exposures that could force sheltering or evacuations because of toxic smoke. The chief said the solar contractor is investigating whether the inverter shorted and that the village and contractor are discussing improved mitigation measures.

The board also heard that the solar project produced funds and remediation work the village said reduced its cleanup cost exposure. The village administrator said the sale of 15 acres to an energy developer provided a “couple hundred thousand dollars” toward required creek remediation, and that the full remediation work for the site amounted to about $1.5 million the village did not have to pay. The administrator added that state changes affected an original plan to allocate 15% of certain project output to the village and 15% to the Depew school system; the developer has since identified an alternate mechanism to provide a share to the village and the school district for a later phase.

Musilak also described department staffing and equipment updates: a new squad (squad 2) arrived to replace an older engine, in-service equipment fitting is under way and in-service training for members is scheduled. The department recently accepted three junior firefighters; the chief noted the program as a recruiting pipeline and said one recruit is a fourth-generation firefighter in his family.

Safety reminders and community events: Musilak gave seasonal precautions about campfires, saying recreational open burns must be in approved fire pits no taller than three feet, at least 15 feet from structures or vegetation, supervised, and extinguished before leaving. The chief also praised department coordination with police and public works during recent holiday events.

Why it matters: the fire chief’s report touches on immediate public-safety risks at energy facilities, local emergency response capacity and ongoing recruitment and equipment upgrades.

What the transcript records (clarifications): Chief Musilak said “23 calls” since the last meeting; he also referenced a year-to-date total that was not clearly stated on the record. The contractor told village staff this was the first inverter failure they had reported across their approximately 322 similar facilities, according to the chief. The village administrator described remediation funding and figures in general terms in the meeting record; the precise contractual terms and exact dollar flows were not read into the record.

Next steps: the contractor’s investigation and follow-up mitigation measures were described as ongoing; the board did not take formal action on the solar incident during the meeting.