The solar panels and surrounding equipment are charred black.

On October 21, a fire broke out at a solar power system on the rooftop of a kindergarten in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, forcing some 200 kindergarten students and faculty members to evacuate urgently.

[Ahn So-young / Kindergarten Homeroom Teacher: An alarm went off during an after-school class, so (the children) had to evacuate.]

Including an elementary school in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, last February, there have been 13 fires at school solar power systems over the past three years.

The government plans to install solar power systems in all public schools by 2030.

Installation has been completed in about 3,500 schools, accounting to 34 percent of the total, and about 400 more locations are set to be added this year, but fire prevention measures are failing to keep pace.

Of the roughly 630 solar power system fires over the past five years, more than 80 percent were caused by electrical factors.

Preventing this requires dedicated circuit breakers, but schools where systems are already installed are excluded from the mandatory requirement.

[Kong Ha-sung / Professor of Fire Protection at WOOSEOK University: Electrical arcs cannot be cut off by regular circuit breakers. (Even after shutting off,) voltages of several hundred volts or higher often remain. Arc fault circuit interrupters must be installed.]

Even if a fire breaks out, it is difficult to cut off power immediately, raising the risk of reignition.

[Choi Jung-yol / Fire Investigator at Daejeon Seobu Fire Station: Even if it looks like remaining fires have been put out, electricity is generated again once sunlight hits. Sparks can occur and cause the fire to reignite...]

The government has shortened the statutory inspection cycle for solar power systems from once every four years to once a year, but it remains at the level of a business agreement without enforcement power.

Even this only targets elementary, middle, and high schools, leaving infant and toddler facilities out of the inspection targets.

[Hong Seung-yeon / Reporter: The Ministry of Education estimated that solar installations would save each school 10 million won annually in electricity bills, but safety measures and inspection systems to prevent fires remain at a standstill.]

Installed in 3,500 Schools... A 'Blind Spot' on the Roof (SBS 8 News, November 1, 2026)

Reported by Hong Seung-yeon | Written by JUNHWI | Video by Kim Min-chul | Video Editing by Seeun | Produced by SBS Digital News