FAULTY solar panels are believed to have caused a fire that caused around $300,000 worth of damage to a Southend property last week.
A team of 25 firefighters with five trucks rushed to the Bridges Street address in the coastal town around 5.20pm on Wednesday in response to a shed fire.
Southend, Beachport, Rendelsham, Millicent and Wattle Range brigades attended, with around 25 firefighters battling the blaze for around an hour before the fire was contained.
Four main fire trucks and one bulk water carrier were used to fight the fire.
Wattle Range CFS group officer Fred Stent said a secondary pager report warned volunteers of firearms and ammunition in the shed, but said most of the material had been removed before crews arrived.
The fire quickly spread to the adjacent two storey house, which was saved, but with extensive damage.
Crews were able to retrieve significant valuables from the house for the homeowner.
The shed was destroyed, with the CFS estimating the damage bill to be $300,000.
Police and South Australian Ambulance Service personnel were on standby, but the house’s occupants were not injured.
An eyewitness at the scene described seeing large fireballs coming from the shed, followed by a plume of black smoke before emergency services arrived.
Another witness at the scene had travelled across Rivoli Bay to inspect the blaze after seeing a black cloud while in Beachport.
Police said the fire was not suspicious, with fire investigators attending the property on December 6 to determine the cause.
Solar panels on the roof of the shed were identified as the potential cause.
