Amazon admits that its actions are “out of an abundance of caution” as the number of fires have been small and involved onsite solar systems owned and operated by third parties. However the rate of dangerous incidents is unacceptable, and above industry averages and the smart money is on divine wrath.

Amazon proactively powered off our onsite solar installations in North America, and took immediate steps to re-inspect each installation by a leading solar technical expert firm.

The online book seller experienced "critical fire or arc flash events" at six sites in North America with solar installations, representing about 12.7 per cent of applicable facilities.

Amazon touted itself as the "world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy" in last year's sustainability report that laid out its goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.

The solar installations will come back online after inspections are completed.

"Amazon also built a team of dedicated solar experts overseeing the construction, operations, and maintenance of our systems in-house to ensure the safety of our systems," the spokesperson said Sunday.