A mother has spoken of her horror as she ran to save her baby after a solar panel exploded on the roof of a west London council estate.
Tracey Adams, 49, an NHS worker, was on the phone with her son Leo, 13, when the fire on August 9 started pouring smoke into the family home of more than 20 years.
Her family has lived in three different affordable housing units since the roof burned, she revealed, after the fire, and the building was deemed too unstable for the family to return to collect their belongings.
According to research by The Independent , the number of fires caused by solar panels has increased sixfold in the past ten years. The lack of regulations on who can install them raises concerns among security professionals.
Adams told The Independent : "I was coming home from work, I was driving and I was talking to her on the car phone. Suddenly the fire alarm went off and she started screaming, 'Mum, the house is on fire.'..'
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"I can't explain it, it was so painful not understanding what was happening. I had to go back to her. When she tried to leave the house, the neighbors came to take her. They saw all the smoke coming out. The roof. .
"It felt good to hug her. It felt good to know everything. She never wanted to be alone again.
The NHS administrator said the solar panels were installed before the roof was removed for repairs in 2013 and reinstalled several years ago.
He added: "There seemed to be smoke in the loft all day. The fire alarm went off but we thought the neighbors were working in the garden and burning things.
"I've heard other horror stories about solar panel fires."
After the fire, firefighters knocked on the doors of all residents on Ferrymead Avenue in Greenford to check the safety of their solar panels and cut power to 10 others.
Police were only able to recover the family's passports, but the mother fears the roof is still open.
The family have been unable to recover their belongings, photos and clothes since the roof collapsed and have raised hundreds of pounds for temporary accommodation.
Adding to the woes, Ealing Council has warned the family they may have to leave with 10-month-old puppy Teddy to find a new home.
Their corn snake was not damaged in the fire and is being cared for by friends while the family considers next steps.
Mrs Adams added: "We want our house back, or at least our belongings. It's completely out of our control. We didn't have home insurance, so we don't know where to go from here.
A London Fire Brigade spokesman confirmed the fire was caused by a solar panel and said they were treating the fire as accidental.
Firefighters used PVStop, a black liquid polymer coating designed to cover solar panels like a liquid tarp, to isolate the supply of 10 solar panels in the neighborhood.
They added: "The energy that powers the solar panel blocks sunlight, thus stopping the process of converting light into electricity.
"The panels are then deactivated and the risk of electrocution is greatly reduced to prevent gangs from spreading the fire from the roof to the rest of the building."
Ealing Council has been contacted for comment.
