Fire across four homes in Leigh Park most likely linked to solar panel equipment, fire service says

What happened

On Sunday 22 November 2020 a fire tore across four homes in Wellow Close, Leigh Park. Crews from Portchester, Havant, Southsea and Emsworth fire stations spent more than four hours tackling the blaze. In January 2021 Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said the fire was accidental and was caused by a fault in a solar panel installation on a property’s roof. It marked the fire a level 1 incident. The service said the most likely cause was an electrical fault or overheating of a solar inverter, or of the wiring and connections in the loft space connected to the roof panels. The time the fire started, the extent of damage to each home, and whether anyone was injured were not reported in this account.

Contributing factors

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service gave the most likely cause as an electrical fault or overheating of a solar inverter, or of the wiring and connections in the loft space connected to the solar panels. It said no detailed investigation by a fire investigation officer was carried out, because the cause and origin were identified and there was no evidence of a criminal act. Which of the inverter or the loft wiring failed was not confirmed.

Lessons learned

1. Treat inverters and their loft wiring and connections as a credible ignition source on rooftop solar installations, and keep stored combustibles clear of that equipment.
2. A fire service “most likely” finding made without a specialist investigation should be followed by a component-level examination before any firm conclusion is drawn.
3. A fire starting at rooftop solar equipment can affect neighbouring homes, so installers should consider how a loft fire might spread to adjoining properties.

Source

portsmouth.co.uk