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Solar PVUnited KingdomEIR-1545

Fire involving solar panels on a building under construction in Kettering

July 2024Published 28 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

MinorElectricalProvisional
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 hiddenFailed part hidden
Where
Six-storey building under construction, Dalkeith Place, Kettering
What
Fire engulfs several roof-mounted solar panels
Injuries
None reported
Response
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, seven appliances, cleared by 11pm
Cause
Electrical fault with one solar panel (most likely)

What happened

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service was called shortly before 7.30pm on 26 July 2024 to a fire at a six-storey building under construction at Dalkeith Place, Kettering. Smoke was issuing from the roof space. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus searched the building and found no casualties. They used hose reel jets to douse flames that had engulfed several solar panels on the roof. Seven appliances attended, with crews from Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough, Irthlingborough and Moulton.

All crews had returned to their stations by 11pm. The service returned on the morning of 27 July, carried out a thermal scan, found no further hotspots, and handed the scene to the site owner. The most likely cause was reported as an electrical fault with one of the solar panels.

Contributing factors

The most likely cause was reported as an electrical fault with one of the solar panels. No fuller cause has been published.

Lessons learned

  1. Plan access and safe working positions for firefighters on the roofs of buildings under construction where solar panels are fitted and smoke may limit visibility.
  2. Treat fires involving solar panels as a hazard to emergency responders and brief crews before they work on the roof.
  3. Use a follow-up thermal scan to check for remaining hotspots before handing the scene back to the site owner.

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

Not yet known

  • Exact technical cause of the fault
  • Model and age 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

northantsfire.gov.uk

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

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Chart to reuse with this story: Solar PV incidents in the United Kingdom, by year, free with a credit (PNG).

Solar PV incidents in the United Kingdom: 97 entries, with a free alert for the next one.

Solar farm fires: the counts, the latest entries and a free alert for the next one. Also: rooftop solar fires.

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