Neighbours of a house whose solar panels exploded have expressed terror that the same could happen to their own homes. Earlier this week, the roof of a £600,000 new-build property in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, burst into flames on Bank Holiday Monday, one of the hottest days of the year so far.
Residents who watched the family scramble to safety are now worried that their homes, located just metres away, might share a similar fate. The eco-friendly fixtures adorn the roofs of most houses in Prospero Drive, and neighbours fear they malfunctioned during the intense heat.
Amran, who heard about the fire while away in Milton Keynes, told the Daily Mail: '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?”' He noted that the panels were part of regulations for new builds constructed by David Wilson and Barratt Homes, part of Barratt Redrow.
'Yes, we are worried because we’ve got small kids,' Amran added. 'The fire alarm on ours kept going off in the past, 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 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 caught fire appeared briefly within the cordoned-off area but declined to comment. Neighbours suggested their cat had died in the blaze. Another resident had brought a hamper as a gift for the affected family. Amran added: 'They can’t live there. They’re going to have to knock it down. I would not move into that house if they didn’t completely knock it down.'
The road was completely blocked off as five fire crews scrambled to extinguish the blaze at about 10:30 am, with temperatures already reaching 22°C. Several homes were evacuated. The fire caused further damage to the side of the next-door neighbour’s house, which was also cordoned off. At least four cars were damaged as tiles fell from the roof onto vehicles. Fortunately, nobody was injured 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 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 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. He alerted the family and, with two other off-duty firemen, helped evacuate neighbouring properties. '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.' 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: '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 has not ruled out the weather as a factor. This comes as the UK had one of the hottest May days ever amid a record-breaking 35°C bank holiday heatwave.
Northamptonshire Police stated: 'Emergency services are at the scene of a major house fire in Wellingborough which started shortly before 10:45 am on Monday. At least four fire appliances are at the scene of the blaze, at a detached new-build property in Prospero Drive. Nobody is believed to be inside the property. Police have closed a number of roads in the immediate area of the blaze which is also blowing smoke across the nearby A509. Members of the public are being asked to avoid the area and to close windows to prevent smoke getting inside.'
A spokesperson for David Wilson and Barratt Homes 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.'
