Lightning strike on solar panels starts house fire in Durack
Sept 2023Published 28 Sept 2026
- Where
- two-storey house in Durack, Brisbane
- What
- lightning struck solar panels and started fire
- Injuries
- No one was injured
- Response
- twelve firefighters extinguished the blaze in about 15 minutes
- Cause
- Not reported
What happened
Lightning struck solar panels on a two-storey house in Durack, Brisbane, during a storm, and a fire then damaged the roof and both floors. The occupants escaped after smoke alarms woke them at about 11pm. Twelve firefighters extinguished the blaze in about 15 minutes. Queensland Fire and Emergency Services said one or more solar panels later exploded while firefighters were still in the house. No one was injured.
Contributing factors
The fire followed a reported lightning strike on the rooftop solar panels during overnight storms. Energex said there were about 7000 lightning strikes across southeast Queensland. The source does not say whether the array had lightning protection or how the strike started the fire.
Lessons learned
- Smoke alarms on a house with rooftop solar gave occupants time to escape before fire spread through the roof and both floors.
- Solar panels can explode after the main fire is out, so crews must treat arrays as still hazardous.
- A single rooftop lightning strike can occur during a wide outbreak, so local storm context should be recorded.
Not yet known
- Whether the array had lightning protection
- How the strike started the fire
- Model and age of the solar panels
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Source
Published 2026-09-28. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.