Residents of a recently developed estate in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, are gripped by fear after a catastrophic incident involving solar panels. On one of the year’s hottest days, a £600,000 home was engulfed in flames when solar panels exploded on its roof.
The dramatic event unfolded on Bank Holiday Monday, leaving the community in shock as they watched the family inside the house flee from the roaring blaze. This has ignited concerns among neighbors who are anxious that their own homes, situated just a few yards away, could be at risk of a similar disaster.
The neighborhood, dotted with these eco-friendly installations atop most houses, is now questioning the safety of these devices. The mishap has cast doubt over the reliability of solar panels, especially under extreme weather conditions.
One resident expressed their apprehension to the Daily Mail, saying, “You buy a new-build and you think everything’s going to be fine. From what I’ve heard, it might be faulty solar panels. It begs the question now, ‘are we all safe?’”
As the community grapples with these uncertainties, the incident underscores the importance of ensuring the safety and reliability of renewable energy technologies in residential areas.
‘From what I’ve heard it might be faulty solar panels. It begs the question now, ‘are we all safe?’
He added that it was part of the regulations for the new builds – which were constructed by David Wilson and Barratt Homes, part of Barratt Redrow – to have the panels installed.
‘Yes (we are worried) because we’ve got small kids.
Shocking ring doorbell footage captured the moment solar panels on a £600,000 new-build home’s roof burst into flames
The four-bedroom detached property in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire was destroyed by the blaze
‘The fire alarm on ours kept going off so we’ve had to call them out a few times but they couldn’t tell us what it was.
‘Other people have had the same problems. I’ve got a mate who I work with whose property was built by the same builders – and his fire alarm kept going off.
‘It’s worrying. How do you know none of these houses are faulty? You don’t. But that’s what you get with new builds.
‘If it overheats when it’s hot that’s not a great sign. You want the heat – to save money, not for your house to burn down.’
The family whose home set alight in the Bank Holiday fire appeared briefly within the cordoned off area to chat with contractors but declined to comment.
Neighbours said they did not know the homeowners but one suggested their cat had died in the blaze.
Michelle – who was there on the night – said: ‘We noticed everyone out on the street.
‘My friend was adamant he saw it starting from around the solar panels.
‘We’re all quite nervous whether it’s to do with the solar panels because we all have them fitted the same.
‘We would love to know the fire report and whether we need to turn ours off or not. There’s been nothing back.
‘The official line is there is no report so they’re not going to do anything.
‘We all want to know so we’re not putting ourselves at risk.
Off-duty fireman Robert Shipman saw the smoke from his home nearby, went over and alerted the family
‘I am anxious because of the kids. Just because of the lack of communication. I mean, a house burns down in the street and no one thinks to contact the residents.
‘We don’t know and we would like to know.
‘We do know in this development there have been issues in the roof area with the ventilation. I think there was a manufacturing area they haven’t sorted out. So I would be keen to know if it’s that or the solar panels.
‘There are vents going up into the loft so if there is a hot day you turn them on and they let all the air out. But they rattle around and it’s never been fixed.
‘There’s a double whammy of that and the solar panels.’
The road was completely blocked off as five fire crews scrambled to put out the blaze at about 10.30 am – with the temperature already hitting 22C – with several homes evacuated.
There was further damage to the side of the next door neighbour’s house, which has also been cordoned off.
At least four cars were damaged in the blaze as tiles fell off the roof and onto the vehicles.
Thankfully, nobody was injured in the explosion after an off-duty firefighter rescued three adults and one child from the four-bedroom detached house.
One neighbour who watched the property go up in flames had previously said the blaze ‘happened so suddenly’.
‘One minute the roof was smoking a little and the next it was a raging inferno,’ they said.
‘People around here are speculating the solar panels may have overheated but there’s not much left of them.
‘I was chatting to a fella who lives around here who fits solar panels and he said if they are not connected properly and then you get lots of sunny weather, it can cause a surge of power which can cause a fire.
‘It’s pretty scary because so many people have these things on their houses and with more heatwaves the worry is there’ll be more fires as a result.’
Fireman Robert Shipman, who lives nearby, was doing DIY when he spotted the blaze.
Mr Shipman alerted the family to the explosion on their roof and, with two other off-duty firemen who lived nearby, helped evacuate neighbouring properties.
He said: ‘As I was coming round the corner I saw a big cloud of smoke.
‘I banged on the door and said I’m an off-duty firefighter can you please get out of your house – it’s on fire.
‘The family didn’t realise their roof had gone, they were on the first floor. They got out and we managed to get two of their pets out.
‘We knocked on the next-door neighbour’s door and said there’s a fire, get out.’
Five crews and an aerial appliance from Moulton worked to swiftly put out the blaze
Having seen the footage of the roof instantly exploding, Mr Shipman said he had ‘never seen anything like it’.
‘You could see some really thick orange flames coming through the loft hatch,’ he said.
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said at the time: ‘Five crews and an aerial appliance from Moulton attended the fire and quickly worked to extinguish the blaze which had started in the roof of the house.
‘Three adults and one child were helped from the house by an off-duty firefighter.
‘After an initial fire investigation, the fire is believed to have been started accidentally.’
The Fire Service have not ruled out the weather as a factor involved in causing the solar panels to explode.
This comes as the UK had one of the hottest May days ever amid a record-breaking 35C bank holiday heatwave.
David Wilson and Barrett’s spokesperson said: ‘Our priority is supporting the residents affected, meanwhile we will provide any assistance required to the Fire Service as it investigates the cause of the fire.’
