An underground fire has broken out under the M1 North double-decker highway in Johannesburg.
City of Johannesburg emergency management services (EMS) spokesperson, Robert Mulaudzi, said the underground fire was reported in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
“City of Johannesburg EMS fire fighters are currently attending to an underground fire incident that was reported in the earlier hours of this morning along M1 and the North double-decker highway,” he said.
“It is mostly underground cables supplying electricity around the Braamfontein area and surrounding areas.
“We have got colleagues from City Power to make sure that they can open up the tunnels as we continue to extinguish the fire.
“The fire has affected mostly the part of the highway and mostly Smit Street [in Johannesburg]. We continue to extinguish the fire towards the west. We encourage motorists to exercise caution while driving in the area.”
No injuries reported
Mulaudzi said there have not been any injuries reported, adding that the area between Empire Road and Crown interchange has been closed off due to the blaze.
The cause of the fire is being investigated. “We are urging motorists to avoid the area. We are busy extinguishing the fire.”
Isaac Mangena, the spokesperson for City Power, said teams from the power utility and the fire brigade were on site to monitor the situation.
Mangena said it is suspected that the fire might be the result of theft and vandalism of the electricity infrastructure.
The fire, according to Mangena, has caused power outages in several areas in and around Braamfontein, the Johannesburg central business district (CBD), and Parktown.
Repairs to restore power supply
“The fire brigade is working on extinguishing the blaze and clearing the smoke, following which the power utility’s multidisciplinary teams will work on repairs to restore power supply to customers affected by this incident,” said Mangena.
“City Power assures the public and customers in Braamfontein, the Joburg CBD, and Parktown that the fire is under control and that the teams are committed to conducting repairs to ensure that supply is restored.
“The time of restoration will depend on the extent of the damage and the work that has to be conducted on site.
“Preliminary findings indicate that the fire affected a cable from the Fordsburg sub-station to the Braamfontein sub-station.
“The exact area of the fire will be determined when the fire has been extinguished and the smoke cleared.
“The entity apologises for the inconvenience caused to customers as well as members of the public who are stuck in traffic as a result of the fire.”
