Lights out in Joburg CBD after building fire 

Major areas, Braamfontein, Parktown and Newtown are experiencing power outages after a building fire erupted from a transformer failure. 

A fire broke out early Friday morning at the corner of Bree and Harrison Streets near the License Hall Lofts building, cutting power to the Johannesburg CBD.

Newtown, parts of Parktown, Braamfontein, Bree West, Bank City, Ferreirasdorp, parts of the Johannesburg CBD, and Marshalltown is affected.

Residents reported hearing a loud bang around two in the morning, seeing a large blaze out through a window.  

Emergency Management Services (EMS) spokesperson Xolile Khumalo said firefighters responded shortly after 4:30, evacuated the building, and successfully extinguished the fire at around 7 this morning.

No one sustained injuries in the blaze.

EMS is currently still on scene doing damping-down operations to prevent any re-ignition.

“Smoke is still visible,” said Khumalo.

He said initial observations indicate the fire originated on the ground floor of the sixteen-storey building and did not spread to other floors.

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena confirmed that a feeder tripped at Bree substation at two in the morning. 

“From a preliminary external assessment, it appears that only one transformer has been affected by the
fire,” he said.

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Investigations ongoing

City Power has paused its investigation into the cause of the fire as EMS declared the substation unsafe to enter.

Sections of the concrete roofing of the building is deteriorating and falling.

Three floors of the residential building located above the substation have been evacuated for precautionary safety measures, according to Mangena.

“In addition, the area remains extremely hazardous due to intense residual heat, boiling transformer oil, ongoing smoke emissions, and the presence of carbon fumes within the facility,” he said.

Entry into the facility is only expected for tomorrow on Saturday, EMS confirms.

“The Bree Substation will remain switched off until the investigation [has] been completed,” said Mangena. 

“Restoration of supply will only commence once it is confirmed that it is safe to do so.”

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