Fires involving rooftop solar panels in the UK rose by 133 per cent between 2022 and 2025, according to official data.
Statistics obtained through Freedom of Information requests show incidents climbed from 91 in 2022 to 212 in 2025. The surge significantly outstripped the 52 per cent growth in total UK solar installations over the same period.
The 212 rooftop fires recorded in 2025 represented a 37 per cent increase on the previous year and damaged 102 homes, commercial buildings, schools, and hospitals across the country.
The true figure could be higher because only 37 of the 49 fire services approached provided data.
The findings have raised questions over whether fire safety standards have kept pace with Britain's transition to renewable power under government Net Zero targets.
Under the Clean Power Action Plan, the UK aims to generate enough clean electricity to meet annual national demand by 2030. Former Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has aggressively pushed for a major expansion of solar power, helping drive total UK solar installations to 1,834,584 as of August 2025.
However, industry bodies highlight gaps in understanding these risks. The Building Research Establishment, a construction sector science centre providing testing and standards, noted that there is a lack of evidence-based information on how often fires involve solar panel systems, which components are responsible, or how the fires develop.
The National Fire Chiefs Council stated it is concerned that the government is attempting to simplify technology implementation without considering the risk to building and fire safety.
Homeowner lost forever home in Essex inferno
Property developer Mark Evans, 58, lost his 5,500-square-foot house in Tolleshunt Knights, Essex, after a fire spread from his rooftop solar panels in April 2021.
Evans had spent decades in property development and drew on 30 years of experience to design and build Evershot Hall, completed in 2018 as a forever home for his wife Sarah, 49, and their sons Jack, now 22, and Harry, 19. Because the site lacked a gas supply, installing solar panels on the all-electric property seemed an obvious choice.
On a sunny afternoon after returning from watching his sons play rugby, a neighbour knocked on his door to report that the solar panels were on fire. Evans rushed outside to find flames and thick black smoke shooting from the roof. Within five minutes, the entire roof was ablaze.
Firefighters arrived quickly, but the flames tore through the property. The family lost all their possessions, including photo albums, christening gowns, and a locket containing their children's first hair clippings.
"We literally lost everything," Evans said. "It was the worst moment of my life."
It took nearly two years of complex insurance negotiations to rebuild the home, which was reconstructed without solar panels. Although the fire service recorded the cause as unknown, Evans remains convinced the panels caused the fire. He expressed gratitude that his family survived unharmed.
Recent fires hit homes, schools and hospitals
Recent months have seen further rooftop blazes across the UK. In early July, 54-year-old Tammi Atherton and her son Ben were alerted by a neighbour to a fire on the roof of their home in Bristol, built just two years earlier. Despite firefighters arriving within minutes, the fire raged for four hours, destroying the roof. The fire service informed the family that solar panels were likely responsible.
Six weeks prior to the Bristol incident, a home valued at approximately £600,000 in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, suffered severe roof damage after solar panels reportedly exploded. Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service concluded that the fire likely originated from an electrical fault in the loft area, leaving local residents concerned about identical rooftop panels on nearby homes.
Commercial and public buildings have also been affected. On July 8, a major fire involved solar panels at Malton Hospital in North Yorkshire, destroying a building that provides mental health services for older people.
In August, during the school holidays, a fire started by solar panels damaged East Bergholt Primary School in Suffolk while the building was unoccupied.
Last October at around 10:30 am on a weekday morning, approximately 250 people were evacuated from an Ikea store in Wembley, north-west London, after a fire broke out involving around 100 rooftop solar panels.
Installation quality and battery storage risks
Insurance experts indicate that installation flaws are a primary driver of solar panel fires. Adrian Simmonds, risk manager at insurer QBE, said installation quality and fire safety have failed to match the speed of deployment.
"Poor cabling and connectors are the leading cause, with fires often spreading to the wider building," Simmonds said. "Faulty installations, substandard fittings and poor electrical connections all heighten risks."
Simmonds also highlighted risks associated with battery storage units that store surplus electricity for later use. When installed in lofts, airing cupboards, or upper-floor locations, these units can prove difficult for firefighters to access during an emergency.
The Association of British Insurers warned that poorly installed or inadequately maintained solar systems could invalidate property insurance policies.
New plug-in solar regulations and industry response
Despite these concerns, the UK government is expanding access to solar technology. Starting Thursday, new regulations allow major retailers such as Currys, B&Q, and Asda to sell plug-in solar panel kits to consumers.
Priced between £350 and £400, these DIY kits plug directly into standard three-pin wall sockets. They generate between 0.5 and 2.5 kWh daily, designed to offset background electricity usage from household appliances on standby. Electrical contractors have raised fresh safety concerns regarding their arrival in homes.
Trade body Solar Energy UK defended the safety record of solar technology, noting that the UK has more than two million rooftop solar installations, including 1.7 million on domestic properties.
A spokesperson for Solar Energy UK stated that the majority of systems operate safely throughout their lifetime. The organisation added that while an increase in total installations may lead to more individual incidents, it does not signify that solar technology is becoming less safe.
