Unmitigated arc‐faults present fire dangers, shock hazards, and cause system downtime in photovoltaic (PV) systems. The 2011 National Electrical Code ® added section 690.11 to require a listed arc‐fault protection device on new PV systems. Underwriters Laboratories created the outline of investigation for PV DC arc‐fault circuit protection, UL 1699B, for certifying arc‐fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) for arc suppression. Unfortunately, little is known about appropriate trip times for arc‐faults generated at different locations in the PV system, with different electrode and polymer encapsulant geometries and materials. In this investigation, a plasma model was developed, which determines fire danger with UL 1699B‐listed AFCIs and consequences of arc‐fault discharges sustained beyond UL 1699B trip time requirements. This model predicts temperatures for varying system configurations and was validated by 100 and 300 W arc‐faults experiments where combustion times and temperatures were measured. This investigation then extrapolated burn characteristics using this model to predict polymer ignition times for exposure to arc‐power levels between 100 and 1200 W. The numerical results indicate AFCI maximum trip times required by UL 1699B are sufficient to suppress 100–1200 W arc‐faults prior to fire initiation. Optical emission spectroscopy and thermochemical decomposition analysis were also conducted to assess spectral and chemical degradation of the polymer sheath. Published 2014. This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA. In this investigation, a plasma model was developed, which determines fire danger with UL 1699B‐listed arc‐fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) and consequences of arc‐faults discharges sustaining beyond UL 1699B trip time requirements. The model indicates the necessity of including an AFCI within a PV as an unmitigated arc after 68s can produce outer sheath temperatures as high as 508.96 C for a low 100 W power level. Based on experimentally determined fire ignition times and the 2.5 s minimum smoke detection time, this results of this investigation suggest that the UL 1699B requirement include a 2 s trip time for 100 W arcs. This will ensure that the AFCIs can detect low power arc‐faults, and the AFCI certification standard provide a sufficient safety measure to ensure an arc is de‐energized prior to any potential fire.