Garage fire destroys solar panels in Southgate, with a battery storage fault suspected

Apr 2024Published 28 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

MinorThermal / fireProvisional

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

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

From the recordRoot cause Failed part

Where: Berkshire Gardens garages, Southgate
What: Garage fire destroys roof-mounted solar panels and one garage
Response: London Fire Brigade, four engines and 25 firefighters, 12:00 to 14:04
Cause: Unknown fault within a battery energy storage system
Outcome: Several solar panels and one garage destroyed, neighbour partly damaged

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

On 18 April 2024, four fire engines and around 25 firefighters attended a fire at a range of garages on Berkshire Gardens in Southgate, London. Several roof-mounted solar panels and one garage were completely destroyed, and a neighbouring garage was partially damaged. The Brigade was called at 1200 and the fire was under control by 1404. Two men had left one of the garages before firefighters arrived. Crews attended from Hendon, Edmonton, Hornsey and Stoke Newington.

Contributing factors

The Brigade believes the fire was accidental and caused by an unknown fault within a battery energy storage system. No confirmed cause has been reported.

Lessons learned

A suspected battery storage fault at a small site can destroy the unit, roof-mounted solar panels and a neighbouring structure before the cause is known.
Treat an official belief about cause as provisional until an investigation is reported.
Garage ranges with solar panels and storage need clear access for a multi-appliance fire service response.

More lessons on emergency response and public communication, investigation and fleet-wide checks, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

Exact model and age of the BESS
Cost of the damage and downtime
Formal investigation outcome

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

Source

london-fire.gov.uk

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: Hybrid co-located incidents by year, free with a credit (PNG).

The record behind this entry

The record behind EIR-1514 holds the root cause, what failed and the fire service response as fields you can filter, count and export, with its source and their verification status. Companies are named in the roles the sources give them. Being named is not a finding of fault.

Root cause: ••••••••••••••••
Failed part: •••••••
Fire service response: ••••••••••
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

Hybrid co-located incidents in the United Kingdom: 5 entries, with a free alert for the next one.

Browse the full register or submit an incident.