Solar panels catch fire on Clough Road home in Waterbury

May 2026Published 28 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

MinorThermal / fire

Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?

out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate

Where: residence on Clough Road in Waterbury
What: solar panels on roof had ignited
Injuries: None reported
Response: fire under control in six minutes
Outcome: resident not displaced

We will also email you about the register's paid records and plans, at most once a week and three times in all. You can stop these at any time. By signing up you agree to the privacy policy.

What happened

Fire broke out on the roof of a Clough Road residence in Waterbury after solar panels ignited. The Waterbury Fire Department received the call at 12:17 p.m. on Friday and found the panels near the top of the roof on fire. Firefighters extended an attack line and brought the fire under control in six minutes. An elderly resident inside the home was assisted to safety. No injuries were reported to residents or firefighters. Utility companies attended to secure the remaining panels and infrastructure. The resident was not displaced.

Lessons learned

Ensure rapid isolation of rooftop solar arrays during fire response to prevent extension.
Survey the interior of properties with rooftop solar for hidden fire spread after initial attack.
Coordinate early with utility providers to de-energise and secure remaining panels and associated infrastructure.

More lessons on electrical protection and isolation, spacing, layout and fire spread, design, standards and commissioning, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

Cause of the ignition
Model and age of the panels
Cost of repairs

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

Source

newstimes.com

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

See the register's stories first in Google: add it as a preferred source.

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

The record behind this entry

Subscribers see the structured record behind an entry where one exists: the site, operator, manufacturer and integrator, the capacity, the root cause, the downtime, an estimated loss estimate and every source. Companies are named in the roles the sources give them. Being named is not a finding of fault.

Sources: ••••••••

Opens with either of these:

Your email and a six-digit code; no card; once per person. Then a plan, or carry on with the free register

Analyst, £39 a month

Ask the register any question in plain words and get a sourced answer in seconds (20 a month), plus the full record behind every entry. Cancel at any time. Limited-time price, rising to £79. Join now and keep £39.

See a complete record first, if you like.

Open the record in Lookup

Or get this one record free by email

Solar PV incidents in the United States: 154 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: rooftop solar fires.

Browse the full register or submit an incident.