South Africa:1 in 4 structural fires are now solar-related

By MEIR team | 10 Sep 2026

A lithium-ion battery module containing approximately 180 individual cells. There is typically one of these modules inside a single battery in a residential solar installation. If one cell overheats and goes into thermal runaway, the heat can trigger neighbouring cells, causing the fire to spread rapidly through the battery. (Source: Discovery Insure)

South Africa Property & Casualty

Solar-related structural fires now account for a quarter of structural fires, revealing a growing risk linked to home solar installations, according to Fire Force, a fire response partnership between Discovery Insure and private firefighting and rescue service, Fire Ops SA.

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