Homeowners allege solar panel fault caused Tolleshunt Knights house fire

What happened

A five-bedroom home on Park Lane, Tolleshunt Knights, Essex, was destroyed by fire on 18 April. The year is not given in the report and 2023 is inferred from its publication date. Fire crews were called at around 1.30pm and remained at the scene until about 7.30pm, dampening down after the fire spread into the insulation and wall cavities. The roof collapsed. No one was injured. Essex County Fire and Rescue Service recorded the cause as accidental.

The owners have filed a civil claim of more than £1.5m against Green Energy Electrical, alleging that their solar panel system caused the fire through a fault or negligent installation. The company rejects the claim. The cause has not been established, and the report describes the system inconsistently as photovoltaic panels and as a solar-heating system.

Contributing factors

The homeowners allege a fault in one of the panels or negligent installation. The company states the fire was probably caused by defective wiring in the roof installed by another party, microcracking of panels during installation, and physical damage to the panels. The homeowners say they cannot identify the specific fault because the system was destroyed in the fire. No independent cause finding beyond the accidental classification is reported.

Lessons learned

1. Solar installations should be checked for electrical faults, connector quality and panel damage at commissioning and after any roof work, and the records kept.
2. Where a fire may involve a solar system, the system should be isolated and its components preserved for independent examination, since destruction of evidence can prevent the cause being established.
3. Installers and contractors working on the same roof should agree and document responsibility for electrical work, so that faults can be traced if a dispute follows.

More lessons on maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, electrical protection and isolation, worker safety and safe systems of work, from every incident on the register.

Source

maldonandburnhamstandard.co.uk