50,000 Berlin households left without electricity due to suspected arson
Kyiv • UNN
A massive power outage affected approximately 50,000 households and 2,000 businesses in Berlin due to a fire on a cable-stayed bridge. Police are treating the incident as deliberate arson, with full power restoration expected by January 8.
A large-scale power outage was recorded in southwestern Berlin on Saturday afternoon, affecting about 50,000 households and 2,000 businesses. The incident was caused by a fire on a cable-stayed bridge, which the police consider to be arson. This was reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.
Details
In addition to the lack of electricity, some areas of the German capital are experiencing disruptions in mobile communications and central heating. The situation is complicated by weather conditions: the air temperature in Berlin is about 0°C, and colder weather and snowfalls are expected in the coming days.
Network operator Stromnetz Berlin announced that partial restoration of power is possible by Saturday evening. However, a full return to normal operation of the energy system may take until January 8.
Safety measures and evacuation
Due to the power outage, authorities were forced to close a number of stores. The most critical facilities, including hospitals and nursing homes, began moving patients and residents to other institutions.
Currently, the city police department continues to investigate the circumstances of the fire. This is not the first such incident in the city - a similar incident with a prolonged restoration of power supply occurred in Berlin in September last year.