Solar panels catch fire on Brussels office building
Oct 2024Published 28 Sept 2026
- Where
- seven-storey office building on Treurenberg near the Parc metro stop in Brussels
- What
- Solar panels caught fire on Tuesday afternoon, 22 October 2024
- Injuries
- None reported
- Cause
- Not reported
- Response
- Fire brigade switched off inverter and carried out partial dismantling
What happened
Solar panels on a seven-storey office building on Treurenberg near the Parc metro stop in Brussels caught fire on Tuesday afternoon, 22 October 2024. The fire began shortly before 14:00 and affected part of the building's facade on the top floor. The fire alarm went off and all occupants were evacuated. The fire brigade later confirmed that the solar panels had caught fire. The inverter was switched off, and firefighters carried out a partial dismantling to extinguish insulation and cool remaining hot spots.
The fire was brought under control. No injuries or smoke intoxications were reported, though smoke entered the building and neighbouring offices and some people were sent home. How the fire started was not reported.
Contributing factors
The cause was not reported. The fire brigade said the inverter was switched off before the fire was extinguished.
Lessons learned
- Isolate the inverter before crews work on burning solar equipment on rooftops or facades.
- Plan for partial dismantling so insulation and remaining hot spots can be reached and cooled.
- Account for smoke entering the affected building and neighbouring offices even when no injuries are reported.
Not yet known
- Cause of the fire
- Solar panel model and age
- Cost of the damage
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Other entries that name Brussels
Published 2026-09-28. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.