Fire in bungalow roof space involving solar panels in Crowan

What happened

At 15:14 on 4 October 2017, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service was called to a fire in the roof of a property in Crowan, near Praze and Beeble. On arrival, smoke was issuing from the roof. The fire involved a bungalow measuring 12 by 20 metres, in the roof space and also the solar panels. Three appliances from Tolvaddon and Penzance attended first. A fourth appliance, an incident command unit, a breathing apparatus support unit and a water carrier were later sent.

Crews used breathing apparatus, jets and hose reels from hydrants, and one thermal imaging camera. The fire was reported as well established in the roof space. One person was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation. The fire service said the fire was extinguished by 21:00, with one crew monitoring hot spots and damping down until 22:45. The report does not say how the fire started.

Contributing factors

The fire service report does not state a cause, or whether the solar panels were the origin of the fire.

Lessons learned

1. A roof fire involving solar panels on a bungalow may need extra breathing apparatus and appliances beyond first attendance.
2. When a fire is well established in the roof space, plan early for hydrant water, jets and thermal imaging cameras.
3. Hot-spot monitoring and damping down can continue after the main fire is reported out.

Not yet known

• Cause of the fire
• Whether solar panels started the fire
• Age and model of the solar panels
• Cost of damage and downtime

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

Source

db.cornwall.gov.uk