Electricity has been restored to thousands of households in the southwest of the German capital, Berlin, after a power outage hit some 45,000 homes and 2,220 businesses on Saturday, the grid operator said on Sunday.
“By 3:23 a.m. (0223 UTC/GMT) on 4 January, we had been able to restore power to around 7,000 households and 150 businesses in several stages, particularly in the Lichterfelde area,” Stromnetz Berlin announced on its website overnight.
Suspected malicious act
The partial restoration of power means that some 38,000 homes and more than 2,000 businesses remain without electricity in the district of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, with Stromnetz Berlin saying it could take until Thursday afternoon to remedy the problem completely.
The outage, which leaves many of those homes without heating, comes as the city is experiencing a bout of very cold winter weather.
The affected district contains several care homes and medical facilities. Emergency services have transferred residents from at least two homes for the elderly.
The loss of power was caused by a fire at a cable link over the Teltow Canal that police are investigating as a possible arson attack after a letter sent to authorities claimed responsibility.
The fire occurred on a bridge carrying cables over the Teltow CanalImage: Michael Kappeler/dpa/picture alliance
A spokeswoman for Berlin’s Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey said authorities believed that a malicious act was behind the fire.
The authenticity of the letter is being examined, but no group has been identified as a possible perpetrator so far.
Stromnetz Berlin said there had been a similar attack on two power pylons in the city’s southeast in September that was politically motivated.
Edited by: Sean Sinico