2023-06-19 12:37:59
Why did the solar panels make extinguishing so difficult?
The fact that the fire service had a hard time in Arnhem has to do with two aspects. The extinguishing water slid down through the solar panels and therefore did not reach the fire. This also happens with roof tiles, but that is probably less of a problem because they are smaller.
And the way in which these solar panels were installed probably ensured that the fire could easily spread to other homes. The solar panels were ‘integrated’ in the roof; so they were not on top of the tiled roof. During a renovation a few years ago, the roof tiles were removed and solar panels were installed directly on the new roof plates. Probably no fire separation between the houses was installed in the roof at that time.
“With a traditional pitched roof, the wall extends almost all the way to the roof tiles and the remaining space is often filled with rock wool,” says Ruud van Herpen, engineer and practical professor of fire safety at Eindhoven University of Technology. This ensures that homes are well separated and that fire does not quickly spread to the neighbours. But that was different with these houses in Arnhem.
Because of the energy transition that the houses had undergone, a lot of insulation material and air was needed between the wall and the roof. Van Herpen suspects that this combustible intermediate layer continued from one house to the next, allowing flames to move easily.
What is this a mistake of the installers?
According to the law, a house must be fire-resistant for thirty minutes. Thus, the risk of fire spread is sufficiently reduced. But how to meet this requirement is not specified in the law. That creates a lack of clarity, says van Herpen. “Perhaps Arnhem reasoned that there was enough delay in fire spread and that the risks were considered too lightly. In that case, both the designing party and the executing and testing party would have taken this too lightly. It does indicate that there is a gray area.”
“The problem is that the preventive barrier between the houses is not completely in order and the fire service cannot solve that. They then have to remove the solar panels, but that takes time and therefore houses.”
Should people with a sunroof be concerned?
Whether solar panels are fireproof depends on many things such as materials, systems and connections. “If everything is installed according to the applicable standards and with the correct inspection, the risks are very limited,” says a TNO spokesperson.
A hole was eventually made in the wall from one of the houses that bordered the fire in Arnhem in order to better extinguish it with a specialist extinguishing agent. The cause of the fire is not yet known. In any case, it is clear that it was not caused by the solar panels. It is also a complex that has undergone a major renovation. A facade was placed against an existing facade, a new roof on an existing roof and an energy box with all new wiring was placed outside the front door. “In principle, solar panels are safe,” says van Herpen. “But with such a major renovation, it is good to check all the details.”
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