Solar panel fire forces evacuation of primary school in Prato

What happened

According to local reporting relayed by Orizzonte Scuola, a solar panel from the photovoltaic system on a primary school in Prato, Italy caught fire at around midday while the school day was under way. The building was evacuated, with pupils and staff led outside as emergency services were already on their way. Firefighters, medical staff and local police attended. The flames were brought under control in a short time and, according to the report, the fire was limited to the panel and did not reach other parts of the building.

One person was assisted by the emergency medical service for mild intoxication, and no other injuries were reported. The source does not state the cause of the fire, the panel make, or how the array was mounted.

Contributing factors

Not reported in the source. The cause of the fire has not been stated.

Lessons learned

1. Schools with solar installations should have clear isolation and emergency shutdown procedures that staff can apply before fire services arrive.
2. Evacuation plans should cover incidents on generation equipment, with assembly points and checks that the fire has not spread to the rest of the building.
3. Operators should inspect DC cabling, connectors and module junction boxes on solar arrays on a regular schedule, since electrical faults are a recognised cause of PV fires, and record the findings.

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

Source

orizzontescuola.it