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Solar PVBelgiumEIR-1426

Facade solar panels catch fire at Brussels office building

Oct 2024Published 28 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

MinorThermal / fire
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersMedium confidence
out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
Where
seven-storey office building in central Brussels on 22 October 2024
What
fire at solar panels forming part of the facade
Response
fire crews isolated the inverter and partially dismantled sections of the solar array
Cause
not determined

What happened

Emergency services responded to a fire at solar panels forming part of the facade at a seven-storey office building in central Brussels on 22 October 2024. The fire triggered the building alarm, leading to a full evacuation. Fire crews used ladders, pumps and a command vehicle. They isolated the inverter and partially dismantled sections of the solar array to reach and extinguish burning insulation and cool remaining hot spots. The cause of the fire was not determined.

Lessons learned

  1. Facade solar arrays need inverter isolation before crews approach, so that live parts do not endanger firefighters.
  2. Multi-storey facade systems may require partial dismantling plans, because ground access alone cannot reach burning sections.

More lessons on fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Turbine model and age
  • Cost of the damage
  • Downtime after the fire

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

Source

thefpa.co.uk

Published 2026-09-28. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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Chart to reuse with this story: Solar PV incidents by year, free with a credit (PNG).

Solar PV incidents in Belgium: 3 entries, with a free alert for the next one.

Solar farm fires: the counts, the latest entries and a free alert for the next one. Also: solar inverter fires.

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