Watch: Underground cables catch fire in Johannesburg
The M1 highway between the Empire and Crown interchanges has been temporarily closed as firefighters battle the blaze.
City Power teams alongside the fire brigade are currently on site at the tunnels under the M1 highway following a fire that broke out last night.
It is suspected the fire may have been caused as a result of acts of theft and vandalism of the electricity infrastructure.
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 supply to customers affected by this incident.
@CityofJoburgEMS Firefighters are currently attending to an underground fire incident reported along M1 north Double Decker highway at this stage no injuries reported and the cause of the fire incident is still a subject of investigations. @CityofJoburgZA @CoJPublicSafety (RM) pic.twitter.com/SmpoMMEpAp
— City of Joburg EMS (@CityofJoburgEMS) May 1, 2024
In a statement, City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena says: “City Power assures the public that the fire is under control. Our teams are committed to conducting repairs to ensure that supply is restored to the affected areas. The time of restoration will depend on the extent of the damage and work that has to be conducted on-site. Preliminary findings indicate that the fire affected the cable from the Fordsburg substation to the Braamfontein substation. The exact area of the fire will be determined when the fire has been extinguished and the smoke has cleared.”
The entity apologises for the inconvenience caused to customers, who were affected by the power outage, as well as motorists, who were stuck in traffic as a result of the fire.
— City of Joburg EMS (@CityofJoburgEMS) May 1, 2024
City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi tells Caxton Local Media that it is currently attending to the fire incident which was reported early this morning.
“On arrival firefighters discovered the source of the fire to be [an] underground tunnel which houses cables belonging to City Power/Transnet, [and] started conducting firefighting operations. At this stage there are no injuries [that] have been reported. The fire is under control, [and] we have three fire engines and [an] air truck on site,” he explains.
Mulaudzi adds the road has been closed between the Empire and Crown interchanges ‘to restrict movement of vehicles to allow firefighters to conduct fire fighting operations’.
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