Cables on rooftop solar array ignite during French workshop installation

Published 31 Oct 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantElectricalProvisionalNext update today0.012 MW

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What happened

During the installation of a 12 kWp photovoltaic array covering the roof of a 2,000 m² industrial workshop that was still under construction, the electrical cables of the system caught fire, according to an ARIA record. The fire spread to the insulation of the building. Firefighters brought the flames under control using a powder extinguisher and a variable-flow hose lance. The installation company then made the electrical installation safe. The panels had not yet been connected to the electrical isolator (disconnector) at the time of the fire. The source does not give the town, the date, the companies involved, the cause of the fire or whether anyone was hurt.

Contributing factors

The source does not state the cause of the cable fire. It records that the panels had not yet been connected to the electrical isolator and that the building was still under construction, but it does not say that either factor contributed to the fire.

Lessons learned

Treat rooftop array DC cabling as potentially live during installation, and check cable terminations and insulation before any section is energised.
Keep combustible building insulation protected from PV cable runs, and check fire-stopping at roof penetrations and cable routes.
Agree isolation, cable routing and fire-watch procedures between the PV installer and the main building contractor when both work on the same roof.

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

Source

aria.developpement-durable.gouv.fr

Published 2026-10-31. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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