City Power says repair work at the Bree substation has not yet started, two days after a fire left large parts of Johannesburg’s inner city without electricity.
The fire broke out in the early hours of Friday, causing an outage that has affected several areas, including Newtown, parts of Parktown, Braamfontein, Bree West, Bank City, Ferreirasdorp, parts of the Johannesburg CBD, Hillbrow and Marshalltown.
“City Power technical teams have been on site since early this morning. However, work could not commence immediately as access to the substation remained restricted pending safety clearance,” said the utility.
Emergency management services (EMS) granted preliminary clearance earlier in the day, allowing structural engineers to begin assessing the integrity of the damaged building.
“As a result of these safety requirements, no repair or restoration work has been undertaken for a second consecutive day. City Power must prioritise the safety of its personnel before any technical work can proceed.”
— City Power
City Power said once full access is granted, teams will carry out a detailed assessment of the fire damage to one of the three transformers, as well as underground cables and other equipment. This will be followed by clearing debris and rubble to prepare for repair and recovery work.
The cause of the fire remains unknown at this stage. A formal investigation will only begin once the site is fully declared safe.
“At present, no customers have been restored,” said City Power.
Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
TimesLIVE
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