Solar panel fire damages Buninyong home
2016Published 28 Sept 2026
- Where
- home garage in Buninyong, Fisken Street house
- What
- fire believed to have started in solar panels
- Injuries
- two residents treated for smoke inhalation
- Response
- seven fire trucks attended, almost two hours to control
- Cause
- under investigation by Energy Safe Victoria
What happened
A fire was believed to have started in solar panels on a home garage in Buninyong at about noon on a Sunday. The blaze caused extensive damage to the Fisken Street house. Paramedics treated two residents for smoke inhalation. Seven fire trucks attended, and crews took almost two hours to bring the fire under control. Energy Safe Victoria was reported to be investigating. A fire service officer said fires starting from solar panels were rare.
Contributing factors
The cause was not reported. The fire was believed to have started in the solar panels, and the technical regulator was asked to examine it.
Lessons learned
- A fire in residential solar panels can spread to cause extensive house damage and smoke inhalation for occupants.
- Rooftop solar fires may require multiple fire trucks and up to two hours to bring under control.
- Even when fires from solar panels are described as rare, early involvement of the technical regulator aids investigation.
Not yet known
- Exact cause of the fire
- Solar panel model and age
- Cost of the damage
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Source
Published 2026-09-28. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.