City Power warns against veld fires following outages
Do not set fires under servitude lines.
City Power appeals to people not to set fires near the electricity infrastructure.
On September 12, customers using the Heriotdale substation in the East were affected by a power outage, which was caused by the fire around midday.
Technicians responded to an outage from the Heriotdale substation and upon investigation found that the transmission lines caused the trip due to the billowing smoke caused by the huge fire under the servitude lines.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said affected customers included large power users such as PPC Cement and Scaw Metals. Firefighters were called to assist in putting out the fire under the power lines and electricity was restored after five hours.
“We cannot stress enough the severe impact veld fires have on the operation of transmission lines and the quality of electricity supply.
“We have recently had some outages affecting the 88KV and 11KV lines due to the fires in the pylon servitudes and we expect more of these during the dry season after winter,” said Mangena.
“The hotspots of veld fires include Nasrec, Heriotdale, Ennerdale and Pennyville. City Power has a standing programme on the cutting of grass bushes and trees under the servitudes with the help of Joburg City Parks to ensure we avoid the risk of fires and trees blown into the lines by the wind.
“We, however, urge communities to refrain from putting on the fires under or near electricity infrastructure, which is illegal and a crime if one is found. “Residents should consult the Joburg Emergency Services or City Parks and Zoo should they wish to clear the shrubs, trees or grass under or around the transmission lines,” added Mangena.
