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Solar PVUnited KingdomEIR-1546

Solar panel isolation switch overheats in roof fire at a house in Bucknall

May 2025Published 28 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

MinorThermal / fireProvisional
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersLow confidence
out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordRoot cause hiddenFailed part hidden
Where
House roof on Corneville Road, Bucknall, Stoke-on-Trent
What
Solar panel isolation switch overheats and starts fire
Injuries
None reported
Response
Three appliances with breathing apparatus and aerial ladder
Cause
Overheating of a solar panel isolation switch

What happened

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service attended a house on Corneville Road, Bucknall, Stoke-on-Trent, after reports of a fire in the roof. Crews were called just before 9am on 7 May 2025. Three appliances used breathing apparatus and an aerial ladder platform to extinguish the fire. The service later deemed the fire accidental and attributed it to a solar panel isolation switch overheating. Nobody was reported injured.

Contributing factors

The fire service attributed the fire to overheating of a solar panel isolation switch. No further detail on why the switch overheated was reported.

Lessons learned

  1. Isolation switches on residential solar PV systems can overheat and start a roof fire, so inspection and maintenance should look for heat damage before failure.
  2. Homeowners should keep solar PV installations maintained in line with the installer's and manufacturer's guidance.
  3. When attending a roof fire, crews should be told if solar PV is present so they can isolate and work around it.

More lessons on electrical protection and isolation, investigation and fleet-wide checks, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Solar panel isolation switch model and age
  • Duration of supply interruption
  • Cost of repairs and reinstatement

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

Source

staffordshirefire.gov.uk

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

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