Fire in an outbuilding with a solar panel battery in Oswaldkirk
Feb 2021Published 28 Sept 2026
- Where
- Domestic outbuilding, Oswaldkirk, Helmsley
- What
- Fire involving solar PV battery
- Cause
- Fault in solar panel battery believed but not confirmed
- Outcome
- 100 percent damage to roof and mini digger
What happened
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service reported a fire involving solar PV in a domestic outbuilding of about 10 by 5 metres in Oswaldkirk, Helmsley, in February 2021. The available summary says the building contained a mini digger and a battery for solar panels that had been turned on a few days earlier. It reports 100 percent damage to the roof and to the mini digger. Injuries, the exact time of the fire and a confirmed cause are not stated in the available summary.
Contributing factors
The fire service summary says it was believed the fire was caused by a fault in the solar panel battery. That belief has not been confirmed in the material available to the register.
Lessons learned
- A newly energised residential solar battery should be checked for faults before normal use.
- Outbuildings with solar batteries need early detection and a way to isolate the battery.
- Do not store vehicles or equipment hard against a solar battery location.
Not yet known
- Confirmed cause of the fire
- Exact time of the fire
- Any injuries
- Battery model and age
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Published 2026-09-28. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.