Firefighters de-energised solar panels while tackling a house fire in Garth Road yesterday

Firefighters using a turntable crane to tackle a fire on a roof of a house in Garth Road, Cricklewood. — Firefighters tackle a fire in Garth Road, Cricklewood yesterday – (Credit – London Fire Brigade)

Firefighters used special equipment to de-energise solar panels on a house in Cricklewood after the building caught fire yesterday.

Around 40 firefighters were called to the blaze on Garth Road, which damaged the roof and part of the ground floor of an end-of-terrace house, and destroyed a detached outbuilding.

Station Commander Steve Pringle, who was at the scene, explained that: “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.”

London Fire Brigade says that incidents involving solar panels are especially dangerous as it is hard to isolate the electrical current they generate if they are damaged or involved in a fire. This means crews run the risk of receiving electric shocks as the current can travel down water jets and hoses.

The specialist PV Stop equipment 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 reduced so crews can get closer and prevent fire spreading from a roof to the rest of the building.

Firefighters were called to yesterday’s blaze shortly after 1.15pm and the fire was under control soon after 3pm. There were no reports of any injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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