Solar panels involved in fire at school in Carshalton

Mar 2024Published 28 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

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From the recordRoot cause

Where: School in Carshalton, United Kingdom
What: Fire reported caused by solar panels
Cause: Not reported

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What happened

Fire crews were called to a school in Carshalton after its roof caught fire by its solar panels. Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters attended the building on Camden Road on 30 March 2024. Four solar panels on the flat roof were destroyed and part of the roof was damaged. The fire is believed to have been accidental and caused by an electrical fault in a cable connected to the solar panels. Firefighters used a turntable ladder to apply PV Stop to the panels. The cause has not been independently confirmed.

Contributing factors

The fire is believed to have started from an electrical fault in a cable connected to the solar panels. The fire service also noted the difficulty of isolating current from damaged panels.

Lessons learned

Incidents involving solar panels may need specialist equipment such as PV Stop to block sunlight and de-energise panels before crews approach.
Water jets can conduct electricity from solar panels, so isolation procedures must be followed.
Fire services should train for the specific risks of photovoltaic systems on roofs to limit spread and reduce shock hazards.

More lessons on design, standards and commissioning, worker safety and safe systems of work, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

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Source

yourlocalguardian.co.uk

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

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

The record behind this entry

The record behind EIR-1512 holds the site, the root cause and the fire service response as fields you can filter, count and export, with its source and their verification status. The cause is not hidden: the contributing factors above give it as the sources report it. The record adds it as a field. Companies are named in the roles the sources give them. Being named is not a finding of fault.

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