Battery fire during solar and battery installation at a bungalow in Tyn-y-gongl

What happened

A fire broke out at about 1pm on a Wednesday at a bungalow in Min-yr-Afon, Tyn-y-gongl, Anglesey, where Clwyd Alyn Housing said contractors were installing solar panels, air source heat pumps and batteries. North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said the cause was an electrical fault. One person got out of the smoke-filled bungalow and was reported unharmed, though taken for tests after breathing smoke. Crews used breathing apparatus, a thermal imaging camera, a CO2 extinguisher and a portable ventilation fan.

A solar panel and its batteries were destroyed. The housing provider disconnected batteries at the other homes on the site while it investigated, and said it believed the incident was isolated.

Contributing factors

The fire service attributed the fire to an electrical fault. It did not identify which component failed. A relative said batteries were being put in a loft next to insulation; that placement is not confirmed in the fire service account. An investigation by the housing provider was still under way.

Lessons learned

1. Operators should isolate matching battery systems across a site while an electrical fault is investigated.
2. Battery installation records must show position relative to insulation so siting can be checked after a fire.
3. An electrical fault in a battery system must be traced to the failed component before the cause is closed.

Not yet known

• Which component caused the electrical fault
• Exact age and model of the batteries
• Duration of supply interruption at the site

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Source

Daily Record (dailyrecord.co.uk)