Fire beneath solar panels fought by ten engines at Broadclyst
Aug 2026Published 28 Sept 2026
- Where
- Broadclyst solar site
- What
- Fire beneath solar panels
- Response
- Ten fire engines and a drone attended
- Cause
- Not reported
What happened
On 24 August 2026, Fire Control received multiple calls at 10.54am about an outdoor fire at Broadclyst, reported as burning beneath solar panels. The fire area was believed to be about 300m by 500m. Ten fire engines attended, from Okehampton, Bovey Tracey, Totnes, Danes Castle, Exmouth, Honiton, Ottery St Mary, Sidmouth, Tiverton and Clyst St George, and a drone was used to survey the area. The incident was listed under electrical installations and was still ongoing at 1.11pm. It was later reported under control, with emergency services still in attendance. The cause, and whether the panels themselves were damaged, were not reported.
Contributing factors
Not reported.
Lessons learned
- Fires under solar arrays can cover hundreds of metres, so operators should install early detection and keep drone survey plans ready for crews.
- A fire beneath solar panels needs multiple stations until contained, so insurers should check that response plans cover wide area attendance.
Not yet known
- Cause of the fire
- Whether the panels were damaged
- Duration of the outage
- Cost of the response
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Other entries that name Broadclyst
Published 2026-09-28. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.