Crews battle large fire at a solar farm in Castleton

Crews battle large fire at a solar farm in Castleton

Firefighters first responded to the scene on River Road just after 5 p.m. Saturday.

Following red flags warnings that were in effect Saturday, a large fire broke out at a solar farm in Castleton.

Crews said that a majority of the more than 17,000 solar panels and 38 acres at the farm were on fire.

The farm is located on River Road and is about half a mile away from the intersection of Stony Point Road.

Jay Wilson, Rensselaer County’s Director of Public Safety, said about 15 fire departments responded to the fire with around 80 firefighters on the scene.

“There’s a ravine between the two parts of the solar farm, where all the trees, everything was cut down and just thrown in the ravine. So, the fire is deep seeded in there. But we’ve got a good handle on it,” Wilson said.

Wilson also told NewsChannel 13 that the conditions on Saturday made it perfect for fires, from the direction of the wind to the dry grass.

“Wind was terrible up there,” Wilson said.

A firefighter told us that they had to use ATVs to access the ravine because it was not possible to get fire trucks in there.

The solar farm is called White River Solar Farm and is owned by Pure Sky Energy. A firefighter said that the company came to the farm once the fire started and was able to shut off the electricity.

There were no injuries to any of the firefighters and the cause of the fire is under investigation.