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Solar PVUnited KingdomEIR-1523

Fire damages solar panel batteries in a Teignmouth garage

June 2026Published 28 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

MinorThermal / fireProvisional
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersMedium confidence
out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordRoot cause hidden
Where
Valley Close area of Teignmouth, domestic property garage
What
Fire damaged four solar panel batteries in garage
Injuries
None reported
Cause
Accidental
Response
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service extinguished fire

What happened

On 3 June 2026, fire control received an emergency call reporting a battery pack on fire in a garage attached to a property in the Valley Close area of Teignmouth. Crews from Teignmouth and Dawlish attended. The electrics to the property had been isolated. The incident involved solar panel batteries in the garage. Four batteries were damaged by fire and the garage sustained approximately 20 per cent smoke damage. Crews extinguished the fire using breathing apparatus, hose reel jets, a safety jet, a thermal imaging camera and a gas monitor. The fire service recorded the cause as accidental.

Contributing factors

The fire service recorded the cause as accidental. No further detail on how the fire started was reported.

Lessons learned

  1. Solar panel batteries stored in an attached garage can be damaged by fire, with smoke affecting the building, even after the property electrics have been isolated.
  2. A response to this type of fire may need breathing apparatus, thermal imaging and gas monitoring as well as hose jets.
  3. Where only a short official note is available, the ignition mechanism should not be assumed beyond the stated accidental cause.

More lessons on electrical protection and isolation, detection and monitoring, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Battery model and age
  • Cost of damage and repairs
  • Duration of any power outage

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

Source

dsfire.gov.uk

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

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