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Solar PVUnited KingdomEIR-1499

Solar panels linked to fires at council buildings in Northumberland

July 2025Published 28 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantThermal / fire
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersLow confidence
out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
Where
Northburn Community Centre, June 2024, and Shanklea Primary School, Cramlington, 5 July 2025
Operator
Northumberland County Council
What
Two fires caused by solar panels over 13 months
Cause
Potential safety issues with panels predating 2019
Outcome
Isolated similar panels on 141 buildings

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Northumberland County Council

What happened

Two fires have been caused by solar panels at council buildings over the last 13 months. Shanklea Primary School in Cramlington caught fire on 5 July. Northumberland County Council had been aware of potential safety issues with the panels since June 2024, when a similar fire broke out at Northburn Community Centre. Similar panels fitted on 141 of its buildings were switched off as a precaution following the school fire.

The fire service began a plan to inspect all the council's solar panels installed prior to 2019. The council has isolated solar panels across all similar properties where installations predate 2019 to allow time to consider the findings of the fire investigation report.

Contributing factors

Potential safety issues with solar panels installed prior to 2019 were known following the earlier fire but no immediate action to isolate panels was taken.

Lessons learned

  1. Review and act on inspection findings from solar panel incidents without delay.
  2. Maintain a programme of proactive inspections for installations predating current standards.
  3. Isolate similar systems across a portfolio when a common fault is suspected.

More lessons on maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, electrical protection and isolation, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Exact cause of the fires
  • Number of inspections completed
  • Solar panel model and age
  • Cost of damage and downtime

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

Source

BBC News (bbc.co.uk)

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

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