House Fire - Rydalmere
Published: 23 Oct 2020 11:43am
Shortly before 12pm today, Fire and Rescue NSW received an alert from Triple Zero (000) with reports of a house fire involving solar panels on Crowgey St, Rydalmere.
Rydalmere Fire Station arrived to find the house well alight with fire on the second level of a two story house.
Firefighters entered the house and discovered a fire in the roof space and got to work to control the blaze, however the solar panels proved an electrical hazard to crews.
An aerial platform (cherry picker) was requested to help spray the solar panels in order to help isolate the power, enabling crews to extinguish the fire.
The roof structure was badly damaged, along with the roof and the solar panels.
FRNSW's Fire Research and Investigation Unit are currently on scene establishing the cause of the blaze.
NSW Police and NSW Ambulance were in attendance, no injuries were reported as a result of the incident.
Superintendent Graham Kingsland from the Fire Investigation and Research Unit said it was important to take steps to ensure solar panels were as safe as possible.
"Over the last five years we have seen solar panel related fires increase five-fold. It is not uncommon to see solar panels cause house and building fires," he said.
“By ensuring solar panels are installed by a licensed installer, and are well maintained by a professional, you can prevent a tragedy”.
For more information on solar panel safety, visit the Fair Trading website.
Further images and video are available at the link below.
Updated: 30 Jan 2023 09:15pm
Related safety topics
It“s the law to have at least one working smoke alarm installed on every level of your home.
If you do your bit to minimise the risks in your home, we can all stay safer together.
Having a home escape plan and a working smoke alarm increases your chances of getting out safely.
The best way to keep you and your family safe is to prevent fires from occurring and know what to do in case of a fire.
Details about this incident may change and should not be used as emergency information and/or advice.
For all life threatening emergencies, call Triple Zero (000)
For flood information, warnings or requests for non-life threatening assistance, call the SES on 132 500 or visit the NSW State Emergency Service website here. [external link].
For information directly relating to bushfires please call the Bush Fire Information Line on 1800 679 737 or visit the NSW Rural Fire Service Website here. [external link]
Stations nearby
Cnr Park Road and Wattle Street, Rydalmere NSW 2116
110-114 Wigram Street, Harris Park (Parramatta) NSW 2150
122 Adderely Street, Silverwater NSW 2141