Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters tackled a fire at a bungalow on Burnway in Hornchurch.  

The whole of the loft space of a semi-detached bungalow was damaged by fire. There were no reports of any injuries.  

The fire was in the roof space of the building and crews deployed PVStop on to solar panels. 

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Incidents involving solar panels are especially dangerous as it’s difficult to isolate the electrical current they generate if they are damaged or involved in a fire.  

“When tackling fire involving solar panels, crews run the risk of receiving electric shocks as the current can travel down water jets and hoses. PVStop works by blocking the sunlight that powers solar panels, so the process of converting light into electricity is stopped.  

“The panels are then de-energised and the risk of electrocution is greatly reduced so crews can get closer and prevent fire spreading from a roof to the rest of the building.”

The Brigade’s Control Officers took the first of four calls at 1108 and mobilised crews from Hornchurch, Romford, Dagenham and Barking fire stations to the scene. The fire was under control by 1250.  

The cause of the fire is believed to have been electrical.

Published:Thursday 29 May 2025 at 3:13 pm

At 8.30am, Fire Rescue Victoria responded to an incident on the corner of Princes Highway and Westall Road, Springvale after multiple callers to Triple Zero (000) reported black smoke issuing from the roof of the IKEA building.

The incident was escalated to a second alarm due to the number of calls received and the sighting of flames and smoke from the rooftop.

Firefighters arrived within seven minutes to find solar panels on the roof involved in fire which had also penetrated through to the ceiling space below.

It is unclear at this stage whether the fire started from the panels or from the ceiling space beneath.

Firefighters quickly contained the blaze from above, with the incident deemed Under Control at 9:07am.

Crews remained on scene for some time to monitor the scene and assess building damage.

A photovoltaic system on the roof of a warehouse caught fire in the northern German town of Norden, triggering a large-scale operation by the volunteer fire department that lasted for hours and involved the use of two water cannons on Monday. On the same day, in Erftstadt, near Cologne, a garage in the area of ​​a PV system caught fire, according to the local fire department.

March 5, 2025 Sandra Enkhardt

• Commercial & Industrial PV
• Installations
• Insurance
• Markets & Policy
• Germany

The fire brigade in Norden was on site for around seven hours to fight the fire and finally uninstall modules.

Image: Freiwillige Feuerwehr Norden

From pv magazine Germany

On Monday afternoon, the Norden fire department in East Frisia received an emergency call. According to the report, the roof of a warehouse in the town was on fire, and several of its PV system’s solar modules were also burning in the middle section of the approximately 100-meter-long hall. “Although the fire was manageable in size, the extinguishing work was complex and time-consuming,” explained the Norden volunteer fire department on its website.

The energy supplier EWE disconnected the PV system from the grid, but the modules continued to produce electricity and kept reigniting the fire. “In addition, there were short circuits in the system, which caused further sources of fire and also posed a risk to the emergency services,” the report continued. In addition, when the emergency services investigated the hall, they found that the fire had also spread to the wooden roof structure.

The spread of the fire under the glass solar modules could be easily observed using a drone with a thermal imaging camera. The fire brigade then used two water cannons, among other things, to stop the fire from spreading further. The extinguishing measures were also carried out in a targeted manner with the help of the drone and two turntable ladders.

The fire brigade then also got support from a local electrician. He recommended uninstalling the damaged parts of the PV system to prevent another fire. Together with two firefighters, they began to dismantle the solar modules on the roof. The solar modules were then transported to the ground using a crane and pallet gripper from a building materials dealer, the fire brigade stated in its report. The operation on site lasted around seven hours. Around 100 emergency service personnel were on site. Experts and police are now trying to determine the cause of the fire and quantify the damage caused.

Fire in Erftstadt

There was also a fire in Erftstadt Scheuren near Cologne on Monday. Much less information is available on this so far.

“The garage burned down completely in the area of ​​a photovoltaic system,” said the Erftstadt fire department on its Facebook page. Around 50 emergency services were on site and were able to prevent the fire from spreading to the main building. No one was injured. A request from pv magazine for further details and whether there was a battery storage system on site initially remained unanswered.

Fire crews from Ryde and Sandown responded to a smoking solar panel on the roof of a bungalow in Bembridge this morning (Tuesday).

It was just before 10:40 that Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service mobilised 2 appliances and an Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP) to Meadow End, off Meadow Drive.

It had been reported to fire control that smoke was issuing from a photovoltaic solar panel attached to a residential property.

Firefighters used ladders to gain access to a flat roof and then utilised a special extinguisher called PVSTOP – which is carried on the ALP – to bring the situation under control.

PVSTOP is a specialised fire safety product to neutralise solar panels. It works by blocking sunlight and therefore ‘switching off’ the solar panels, making them electrically safe.

Fire crews have since stood down from the incident.

Dozens of firefighters responded to a fire Tuesday morning at an Ikea distribution center in Joliet, Illinois.

Around 10:15 a.m., Joliet firefighters responded to the Ikea warehouse at 650 Emerald Drive for a report of heavy smoke coming from the roof.

When crews arrived, approximately one-third of the roof was on fire. A total of 81 firefighters responded to the fire, and it took them about two hours to put the fire out.

The fire caused significant damage to the roof, including dozens of solar panels which appeared to be destroyed.

One firefighter received treatment at the hospital for exhaustion.

All employees managed to get out of the building without any injuries. 

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service said Joint Fire Control mobilised four fire engines and an aerial ladder platform to the scene on Tuesday afternoon (March 18).

“We were called at 1.33pm to reports of a fire involving solar panels on a home in Dunnock Square, Yapton,” a fire service spokesperson said.

“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus carried out an inspection of the building’s smoke-logged roof space using a thermal imaging camera, before using a specialist extinguisher PVSTOP on the solar panels.”

This coating can shut off power from PV installations in a matter of seconds

Spotted: Particularly in sunny climates, solar cells can be a convenient and low-impact way for buildings to lower their emissions, with over 3.3 million homes across Australia now using PV panels. However, solar doesn’t come without risks, especially when it isn’t correctly installed or maintained, and instances of fires caused by solar panel malfunctions are on the rise. As more homes switch to solar – and existing installations age and deteriorate – this fire risk will continue to grow.

To help protect the lives of inhabitants and first responders, as well as limit fire damage to property and business operations, New South Wales startup PVStop created a solution: a temporary coating that can deactivate entire PV systems in seconds and remove the risk of electrocution. The initial inspiration came when company Founder Luke Williams, who was an experienced renewable energy system designer and installer, was exposed to a severe electrical shock during an off-grid PV installation.

As long as solar panels are exposed to light, they create potentially dangerous Direct Current (DC) electricity, and historically, there’s been no practical and safe way to quickly shut off this uncontrolled electricity. PVStop makes it possible to quickly ‘switch off’ panels by removing their energy source: sunlight. Users evenly apply the light-blocking ‘liquid tarpaulin’ to the centre of a set of panels in a similar way to spray-painting a house, and once at least 40 per cent is covered, power generation stops. For maximum safety, users can coat the full surface of the panels.

According to EMEA Sales & Marketing Manager Alex Keane, “PVStop can be applied before an electrical event escalates into a fire incident, during an incident, or after an incident to mitigate the risk of a secondary fire developing.” Shutting off the solar power source in this way ensures the safety of emergency workers, PV system owners, and fire investigators, as well as minimises property damage. Once it’s safe to do so, the coating can be easily peeled off without causing damage to the panels.

Keane told Springwise that the company is now developing a large-capacity, drone-based delivery solution, which will help global safety agencies address growing concerns and risks around dangerous or hard-to-access PV systems. By adapting agricultural drone technology, detection solutions, and AI software, PVStop aims to achieve “autonomous delivery of the light-blocking coating for both Building Applied and Building Integrated PV systems”.

Written By: Matilda Cox

6th November 2024

Email: info@pvstop.com.au

Website: pvstop.com.au

Contact: pvstop.com.au/contact-us

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – The Ann Arbor Fire Department has acquired a new product to disable solar panels during structural fires. 

It’s called PVStop, and it acts as a liquid blanket to instantly shut down solar panels. Ann Arbor Fire Chief Mike Kennedy said the product will help firefighters safely contain blazes.  

“When we have a fire in a building, we want to turn off the power,” said Kennedy. “And so, we can turn off the power from DTE, but the solar power will continue to energize the house. This gives us an ability to completely shut off any electrical generation from that solar array.”  

When solar power remains on during a fire, arcs can still occur, which could cause additional fires. 

Developed in Australia, PVStop is currently used in countries across Europe and Asia, including England and Singapore, but it’s relatively new to the U.S. market.  

Kennedy said the product costs $450 per canister, which is equivalent to a single use. AAFD acquired two canisters of PVStop two weeks ago.  

“We believe we’re one of the first, if not the first, department in Michigan that has it,’ said Kennedy. “And with the amount of solar that’s in the city of Ann Arbor, if anyone has it, it would make sense for us too.”  

According to the manufacturer, PVStop does not damage solar arrays. Instead, it can be peeled off solar panels after it’s used.   

Until now, the Ann Arbor Fire Department had to layer large tarps over solar panels to try and cut power during fires, which were prone to sliding off the panels and therefore posed more danger to firefighters on rooftops.  

Still, Kennedy said fires involving solar aren’t very common. 

“Fortunately, we don’t have a lot of issues involving solar,” he said. “It’s one of those (instances) that are pretty rare, but when we have them, they’re a big deal.”  

Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters tackled a house fire on Garth Road in Cricklewood. 

A small part of the ground floor and the roof of an end-of-terrace house was damaged by fire. A detached outbuilding was destroyed by the blaze. There were no reports of any injuries.

Station Commander Steve Pringle, who was at the scene, said: “Firefighters used one of the Brigade’s 32-metre turntable ladders to deploy PV Stop on to solar panels on the roof of the property.”

Incidents involving solar panels are especially dangerous as it’s difficult to isolate the electrical current they generate if they are damaged or involved in a fire. When tackling fire involving solar panels, crews run the risk of receiving electric shocks as the current can travel down water jets and hoses. PVStop works by blocking the sunlight that powers solar panels, so the process of converting light into electricity is stopped. The panels are then de-energised and the risk of electrocution is greatly reduced so crews can get closer and prevent fire spreading from a roof to the rest of the building.

The Brigade’s 999 Control Officers took 16 calls to the blaze.

The Brigade was called at 1317 and the fire was under control by 1507. Fire crews from West Hampstead, Mill Hill, Park Royal and Holloway fire stations attended the scene.

The fire is believed to have been accidental and caused by resistive heating in an extension lead. 

Firefighters’ top tips for electrical device safety

• Try to keep to one plug per socket, especially for high powered appliances like washing machines.
• Always check that you’re using the right fuse.
• Be lead safety savvy – cable drum extension leads should always be completely unwound to avoid overheating, and be careful not to overload extension leads.
• Always make sure electrical appliances have a British or European safety mark when you buy them.
• Keep electrical appliances clean and in good working order.
• Don’t buy cheap counterfeit chargers for items that use lithium batteries, and never leave phones or laptops plugged in to charge overnight

Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters tackled a house fire on Ferrymead Avenue in Greenford on 9th August.

Part of the roof of a semi-detached house was damaged by fire. There were no reports of any injuries. London Fire Brigade confirmed that they rescued a pet snake from a first-floor bedroom.

A spokesperson from London Fire Brigade (LFB) said via their website: “PVStop, which is a black liquid polymer coating designed to cover solar panels like a liquid tarpaulin, was used to isolate power to ten solar panels.”

“It works by blocking the sunlight that powers solar panels, so the process of converting light into electricity is stopped. The panels are then de-energised, and the risk of electrocution is greatly reduced so crews can get closer and prevent fire spreading from a roof to the rest of the building.”

The Brigade was called at 4:25pm and the fire was under control by 6:58pm. Fire crews from Southall, Northolt, Ealing and Wembley fire stations attended the scene.

LFB added, “The cause of the fire is believed to have been accidental and involved a solar panel.”