Smoke reported from solar panels on an industrial unit in Horningtops
Mar 2025Published 28 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- industrial unit in Horningtops area of Cornwall
- What
- Smoke reported from solar panels on the roof
- Response
- Five appliances, aerial ladder and officers at scene by 16:18
- Cause
- Not reported
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What happened
On 9 March 2025, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service crews from Liskeard and Looe attended an industrial unit in the Horningtops area after reports of smoke from solar panels on the roof. A later update the same afternoon said five appliances, one aerial ladder platform and two wholetime flexi duty officers were at the scene, and that firefighters were working to extinguish the fire and check for spread. The update does not say whether the fire was put out, how far it spread, or whether anyone was hurt.
Contributing factors
Not reported. The service recorded smoke coming from the rooftop solar panels, but did not state a cause.
Lessons learned
- Treat smoke from rooftop solar panels as a fire involving the array until crews confirm otherwise.
- Plan for extra appliances and an aerial platform where panels sit on an industrial roof and spread into the building cannot yet be ruled out.
- Record the outcome after the incident, including whether the fire was extinguished and whether it spread, so an attendance note is not read as a finished account.
More lessons on emergency response and public communication, spacing, layout and fire spread, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Cause of the smoke
- Extent of fire spread or damage
- Whether anyone was injured
- Downtime or cost
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Published 2026-09-28. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
