Glue to cut firefighters’ risk of shock at homes with solar panels

LONDON Fire Brigade is testing a special glue to prevent crews from being electrocuted when they fight blazes at homes fitted with solar panels.

The spray-on substance acts as a flame-retardant “liquid blanket”, which cuts electrical current to the panels and means water can be safely used to tackle the flames.

The trials, at Soho fire station, follow two summer fires in London linked to the eco-friendly energy systems.

The Solar Trade Association says the photovoltaic technology is safe, but using water alone to fight flames around live circuitry puts firefighters at risk. Panels cannot be switched off, so the electrical current always flows.

About 80 firefighters attended a fire at Bow Wharf apartments in July, where witnesses suggested rooftop solar panels were engulfed in flames — although the official cause is not yet known.

Another block caught fire in Thornton Heath in June. Orbit, the housing association that owns the flats, said the initial investigation indicated it was caused by “an overheated solar panel”.