Fire contained to solar panels on Gosport flats roof

What happened

Firefighters from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service attended a fire involving solar panels on the roof of a three-storey block of flats in Gosport on 13 May 2023. Crews from Gosport, Fareham, Cosham and an aerial ladder from Southsea responded shortly after 1pm to the property on Samson Close. The fire was contained to the solar panels and was extinguished using jets. The flats remained unaffected. Residents were evacuated by the fire service. The electricity board isolated the solar panels. Crews completed community fire safety activities before returning to station at around 2.30pm. The cause was not reported.

Lessons learned

1. Rooftop solar on occupied blocks should have a clear isolation point that the electricity supplier or site manager can operate for attending crews.
2. Evacuation planning for multi-storey homes with roof arrays should assume the fire may stay on the roof while residents still need to leave.
3. After a contained panel fire, operators should confirm the array remains isolated until it has been inspected, rather than treating an extinguished fire as a return to service.

More lessons on electrical protection and isolation, emergency response and public communication, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

• Cause of the fire
• Solar panel model and age
• Duration of the response
• Cost of repairs

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

Source

hantsfire.gov.uk