Brussels blaze points to growing risk of fires caused by solar panels

The fire happened around 2pm in a seven-storey office building near the Place de Louvain and the central station.

The building was safely evacuated and the fire brigade succeeded in turning off the panels and extinguishing the blaze.

The Brussels fire department said the fire had been caused by solar panels that were part of the building’s facade.

Walter Derieuw, a spokesperson for the fire brigade, said: “We carried out a partial dismantling to extinguish the insulation and cool the last hot spots."

It is not known yet what caused the panels to catch fire.

The risk associated with photovoltaic panels is low but increasing as more buildings are fitted with them.

In the first six months of 2023, solar panels were involved in some 66 fires in the UK, compared with 63 in the whole of 2019, newspaper The Independent reported last year.

The UK Fire Protection Association notes that the most common causes are poor installation and defects in the manufacturing process.

Planning and design issues can also add to the risk. For example, the panels may have been fitted to a wooden roof without a non-flammable layer being added.

Problems may also arise if water seeps into the electrically live areas of the panel, as can the build-up of contaminants such as bird droppings, which can lead to the formation of “hot spots” on the surface.