Garage fire from overheated solar batteries in South Woodham Ferrers
Sept 2021Published 28 Sept 2026
- Where
- domestic double garage on Tighfield Walk in South Woodham Ferrers
- What
- Solar batteries overheated and ignited in domestic garage
- Response
- Called at 12.35pm, extinguished by 1.59pm
- Cause
- Left connected overnight while testing with solar panels
- Outcome
- Spread throughout garage, prevented from reaching nearby homes
What happened
Batteries being tested with solar panels overheated and ignited inside a domestic double garage on Tighfield Walk in South Woodham Ferrers. The fire spread throughout the garage. Crews stopped it from spreading to nearby homes. Firefighters were called at 12.35pm and fully extinguished the fire by 1.59pm. The occupant had inadvertently left the batteries connected overnight.
Contributing factors
The fire service said the batteries were inadvertently left connected overnight while the occupant was testing them with the solar panels, and that they overheated and ignited.
Lessons learned
- Solar batteries in a test setup must have automatic disconnection after a set time, since they can overheat when left connected.
- A garage holding solar batteries needs a heat or smoke detector, because a fire can spread through the whole space before discovery.
Not yet known
- Battery model and age
- Cost of the damage
- Time garage was out of use
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Source
Published 2026-09-28. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.