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.”