The underground fire that broke out on Wednesday morning along the M1 highway in Johannesburg has been attributed to cable theft and infrastructure vandalism.
According to the Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS), a preliminary investigation has shown that during the alleged cable theft and vandalism incident, a cable connecting the Braamfontein substation to the Fordsburg substation caught fire.
The fire started in the underground tunnels near Smit Street and spread to the double-decker section near Wits University.
Power outages
The EMS said the fire is suspected to have been a result of theft and vandalism of the electricity infrastructure.
As a result, a portion of Braamfontein, the Johannesburg central business district, portions of Parktown, and several parts of Newtown experienced power outages.
A spokesman for City Power, Isaac Mangena, stated that teams from the utility have been on the scene since the fire was reported and will stay there until the EMS turns it over to the utility.
Tools and cellphone recovered
“This is expected to happen on Thursday morning, when work to assess the extent of the damage caused by the fire to the electricity infrastructure will be done,” said Mangena.
“On Wednesday afternoon, the City Power team recovered tools such as hacksaws, cutters, and screwdrivers, normally used during vandalism and theft.
“A cellphone was also recovered at the site of the fire.”
He said work towards the restoration of power will commence after the smoke has cleared in the tunnels and after the temperatures have cooled off.
Assessing extent of the damage
“We expect to start the work mid-morning on Thursday, which will include clearing the rubble and assessing the extent of the damaged electrical infrastructure, the outcome of which will determine the repairs and restoration plans.”
Mangena added that City Power technicians are also coming up with other plans to check if some of the areas cannot be backfed through the adjacent Fort and Bree substations.
“We will advise our customers of any developments, and we apologise for the inconvenience this has caused, including to the motorists who use the M1 highway between Braamfontein and the Crown Interchange,” he said.
