Cable theft suspected as tunnel fire cuts power to central Johannesburg

Residents of Braamfontein, the CBD and Parktown are without electricity and smoked out by the underground cable fire in Johannesburg's inner city that broke out in the cable tunnels on Tuesday night.

“It is suspected the fire may be as a result of acts of theft and vandalism of the electricity infrastructure,” City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said on Wednesday after teams were deployed to work with emergency services.

“The fire brigade is working on extinguishing the blaze and clearing the smoke after which the power utility's multidisciplinary teams will work on repairs to restore supply to customers.

“Preliminary findings indicate the fire affected the cable from the Fordsburg substation to the Braamfontein substation.

“The time of restoration will depend on the extent of the damage and work that has to be conducted.”

The fire has led to road closures and traffic jams in the area.

Johannesburg metro police said the M1 has been closed in both directions. Traffic is being diverted at Carr Street and at the intersection of Jan Smuts Avenue and Empire Road in Parktown.

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