Anglesey: Pensioner escaped property after solar panel battery fire broke out

A North Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: "One person was able to get out of the property but a solar panel and batteries were gutted." Credit: Media Wales

A man warned about the risks some solar panel batteries pose after one caused a fire at his mother-in-law's bungalow.

The pensioner escaped from the property in Anglesey after the blaze broke out. The 76-year-old woman was not injured but breathed in smoke.

Paul Fitton said: "Solar panels are environmentally clean but people's lives come first." Credit: Media Wales

Fire crews had been called to the scene near Benllech on Wednesday at about 1pm.North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the blaze at the building, which was in Min-yr-Afon, Tyn-y-gongl, was an electrical fault.

The Welsh Ambulance Service said it was called out but were not needed.Paul Fitton, whose mother-in-law Medi Williams lives at the bungalow said: "She breathed in a lot of smoke and went to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor for tests."Mr Fitton, who is a builder, and favoured solar panels as a "clean energy source", wanted to raise awareness that "some panel batteries can pose a risk".

He said: "Solar panels are environmentally clean but people's lives come first."You are putting these batteries in a loft next to insulation. These things need to be looked into before they are put in."

A North Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: "One person was able to get out of the property but a solar panel and batteries were gutted."The firefighters used six breathing apparatus, a thermal imaging camera and a CO2 extinguisher.

"A portable ventilation fan was also brought in the clear the smoke.The cause of the fire was an electrical fault."

The bungalow was part of an independent living complex run by Clwyd Alyn Housing, which said everyone at the property is safe and apologised for any "worry and inconvenience".

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Tom Boome, Head of Technical, Innovation and Climate at Clwyd Alyn, said: “We are aware of an incident at one of our properties in Min Yr Afon, where we have been working with contractors to install solar panels, air source heat pumps and batteries as part of our plans to decarbonise our homes.“Everyone at the property is safe and we apologise for the worry and inconvenience caused. We believe this is an isolated incident, but as a precaution we have disconnected the batteries in all the homes at Min Yr Afon, while we work with partners to establish the facts."

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