Firefighters were called to reports of a solar panel fire near St Helens this morning (Monday).
An appliance from Ryde was mobilised at around 10:30 and spent a short time trying to locate the incident.
The wholetime crew eventually identified the problematic panel off Attrill’s Lane and used a dry powder extinguisher to bring the situation under control.
The Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service spent 2 hours on scene, with engineers from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) called out.
Does this mean the solar panels on people’s houses could cache fire?…
Clearly YES. Plastic and high current even with low voltage can ignite under certain conditions. I would fit a smoke detector in the loft ‘anyway’ solar panels or not. Dry, dusty and wood and felt is an easy path for fire to spread, also many throw piles of Christmas junk, suitcases etc. An accident waiting to happen.
Ozz, ‘Plastic and high current even with low voltage can ignite under certain conditions’ Yup, this is how most engine fires start. An electrical fault.
I always thought they were dodgy, bit like electric cars.
Yes and ‘certain’ Cllrs on the Island. Although they don’t self combust.
Haha – brilliant comment. Ignorance is bliss eh?
Not if installed by a competent firm. Unfortunately, other firms are available…
An interesting modern possible fire problem I was an ex firefighter
If you were an ex firefighter, what are you now? A firefighter? Or are you, in fact, still an ex firefighter?
Anything can catch fire if miss used. No reason to stop using them.
But then so many people who are looking for any excuse to ignore their part in climate change and will use this as an excuse to continue burning coal and oil.
The planet will always do its thing long after we have gone, it always has and always will.
It’s constantly changed long before we were here, changing how we live our lives can be a good thing when it affects our health.
But don’t worry about our planet because there’s nothing we can do about it, at one time it was covered in ice and it melted, what was to blame for that????
@Ozz, you’re right they can catch fire. The smoke detector will work in the attic for house fires that originate inside but outside the house on the panels you’ll need a linear heat detector. It’s a cable that can be installed on the solar panel framework that detects an overheat and/or fire on the panels let’s the building occupants know. It’s a special type of heat detector.