Solar battery smoke prompts fire crew response at Denton home

What happened

On Thursday 19 January 2023, at about 2pm, firefighters were called to reports of smoke coming from a terraced house in Denton, Greater Manchester. Smoke had reportedly been seen escaping from the ground floor. On arrival, crews established that the smoke was coming from a battery linked to solar panels at the property. Fire engines from Ashton-under-Lyne, Whitehill and Gorton stations attended. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used a thermal imaging camera, a dry powder extinguisher and a hose reel to make the scene safe, and removed the batteries from the property. The homeowner was understood to have evacuated. A nearby road was closed for several hours, and crews were in attendance for around three hours.

Contributing factors

The source does not report the cause of the smoke, the battery make or chemistry, or the installation details.

Lessons learned

1. Owners of home batteries linked to solar panels should be told to act at the first sign of smoke, heat or unusual odour by leaving the property and calling the emergency services.
2. Fire crews attending battery incidents at homes can use thermal imaging and remove the battery from the building to make the scene safe.
3. Road closures and crew time can be significant even for a smoking battery, so early communication with local authorities and the public helps manage disruption.

More lessons on emergency response and public communication, detection and monitoring, from every incident on the register.

Source

manchestereveningnews.co.uk