Rooftop solar panel fire prompts evacuation at IKEA Wembley store

On 16 October 2025 a fire broke out on the roof of the IKEA store on Drury Way in Wembley, north-west London, involving approximately 100 solar panels. The fire was reported to the London Fire Brigade at 10:35am. Five fire engines and around 30 firefighters from four fire stations attended the scene, using a 32-metre turntable ladder as a water tower to fight the blaze from above. At least 250 people, including customers and staff, were evacuated from the store as a precaution. The fire was brought under control by 12:44pm, with crews remaining on site afterwards to dampen hotspots. A small section of the roof was damaged but the fire did not spread further. No injuries were reported. The precise cause of the fire had not been confirmed at the time of reporting.

Not reported. The London Fire Brigade had not confirmed whether a fault in the photovoltaic panels, a wiring failure or an external source caused the fire.

1. Large rooftop solar arrays on commercial buildings should have robust fire detection and rapid isolation capability to limit fire spread across panel strings.
2. Evacuation procedures for retail and public buildings with rooftop solar should specifically account for the risk of PV related fires and smoke spread.
3. Following any rooftop solar fire, a thorough post incident investigation into panel condition, wiring and installation quality is needed to prevent recurrence, regardless of whether the panels are ultimately found to be the ignition source.

ibtimes.co.uk/hundreds-evacuated-ikea-wembley-after-solar-panels-catch...