Fire on roof of Bulford St Leonard's Primary School linked to newly installed solar panels

What happened

A small fire broke out on the roof of a new building at Bulford St Leonard's Primary School in Bulford at about 1pm on 17 June 2019. The school said the fire was caused by an electrical issue with solar panels on the new building. Firefighters from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service were called at 12.55pm, and crews from Amesbury, Andover and Salisbury attended, along with an aerial ladder platform from Salisbury.

All children and staff were evacuated. The fire was brought under control, and children were sent home for the rest of the day to allow clean-up work. The school said it would open as usual the following day.

Contributing factors

The school described the cause as an electrical issue with the solar panels, which had been newly installed on the new building. The source gives no further technical detail, and the cause has not been independently confirmed.

Lessons learned

1. Newly installed solar PV systems should be inspected for electrical faults and wiring defects during commissioning and before handover, particularly where the array sits on an occupied building.
2. Operators of schools and other public buildings should have evacuation procedures that can be carried out quickly, so that a small fire can be contained without harm to occupants.
3. Rooftop PV installations should be coordinated with the fire service so that crews know the array is present and can isolate the DC system safely during an incident.

More lessons on maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, worker safety and safe systems of work, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.

Source

salisburyjournal.co.uk