Fire disrupts power to 50,000 Berlin homes; police suspect arson

Tens of thousands of homes were left without electricity in Berlin on Saturday after power cables were damaged by a fire police suspect was an arson attack, according to the network operator.

Emergency services were alerted at 6:45 am (0545 GMT) that several cables on a bridge near a power plant in the German capital had gone up in flames.

Buildings stand without power during a blackout caused by a fire at a power distribution system in Berlin. Reuters

The network operator, Stromnetz Berlin, stated that the fire broke out on a cable bridge over the Teltow Canal, causing damage to several cables connected to the nearby Lichterfelde power station. The fire has been brought under control, and power will be restored gradually.

Police said in a post on X they had deployed about 160 officers to the site in the Lichterfelde area and were "investigating on suspicion of arson."

Vehicles of emergency workers and police stand on a street in Zehlendorf during a power outage. AFP

They warned affected residents that heating systems might not work due to the outage, urged them to use mobile phones sparingly and to ensure they have torches at hand.

Authorities also suspected arson when a blaze hit electricity pylons in Berlin in September, causing a widespread outage. In that case, an unnamed anarchist group posted a claim of responsibility online for starting the blaze.

Germany has been on high alert for sabotage activities directed at its infrastructure, including from foreign actors such as Russia.

Police and emergency ​services were ‌at the scene to handle the incident and respond to citizens' enquiries, it ‌said, as the German capital endured freezing temperatures.

WAM