Solar panel fires at Northumberland school and community centre

What happened

Two fires at Northumberland County Council buildings were reported to have been caused by solar panels over about 13 months. A fire broke out at Northburn Community Centre in June 2024. Shanklea Primary School in Cramlington caught fire on 5 July 2025, when the school was closed. The council said it had been aware of potential safety issues with the panels since the community centre fire, and that there had been no requirement to switch them off after that fire.

After the school fire it isolated similar panels on 141 buildings, where installations predated 2019, as a precaution. Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service had begun a plan to inspect those older installations. How many inspections have been completed has not been reported.

Contributing factors

The cause has not been reported beyond potential safety issues with the solar panels. Similar installations predating 2019 were later isolated while the fire investigation continued.

Lessons learned

1. After a solar panel fire at a community building, record whether similar pre-2019 installations need inspection or isolation.
2. Track completion of checks on older solar panels so a known concern is not left open across 141 sites.
3. Tell occupied sites what solar panel installations have been isolated while fire investigation continues.

Not yet known

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

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Source

BBC News (bbc.co.uk)