Mini battery storage system ignites garden shed fire in Wickford, Essex

What happened

Firefighters were called to a garden fire on Highcliffe Road, Wickford, at about 11.30am on a Saturday. Crews from Basildon and Wickford found a wooden garden shed fully alight, with flames beginning to affect three nearby properties. Residents reported hearing a huge bang and seeing large amounts of black smoke, and some reported that the electrics in nearby houses had gone off. Firefighters removed BBQ gas canisters from the fire scene and worked around solar panels on the property to prevent further spread.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the fire started in a small battery energy storage system connected to the household solar panel installation. Injuries were not reported in the source.

Contributing factors

The exact technical cause has not been reported. Essex County Fire and Rescue Service issued general advice that solar and battery installations should be fitted by reputable, qualified companies and maintained according to manufacturer guidance; this was general safety guidance rather than a stated finding about the cause of this incident.

Lessons learned

1. A domestic BESS can fail with a sudden forceful event that produces loud bangs and heavy smoke, so operators should site units away from homes and install early detection.
2. Gas canisters near a BESS increase fire spread risk, so insurers should require clear separation distances around household battery units.
3. Solar panels on a property with a BESS fire complicate firefighting, so installers must plan access routes and isolation points at the design stage.

More lessons on detection and monitoring, spacing, layout and fire spread, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

• BESS model and age
• Cost of the damage
• Duration of power outage

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

echo-news.co.uk