City Power calls on police to act after M1 bridge cable fire
City Power has called on the police to help the city in protecting the critical infrastructure, following a fire incident in Braamfontein.
No fatalities or injuries were reported when the blaze broke out on the M1 bridge service tunnels on Thursday.
The cause of the fire has not been established, however, City Power said it suspects the fire may be due to ongoing cable theft and vandalism.
The incident led to a widespread power outage in the Braamfontein area, affecting hundreds of residents, including Wits University.
On Friday, the utility said its technicians were working on clearing debris as the fire damaged critical underground electrical infrastructure.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the costs of the damage could not be quantified immediately.
"Although sections of the tunnels remain hot, once the area is declared safe and mop-up operations are complete, the team will proceed with isolating and removing approximately 200 metres of damaged 88kV cable linking the Braamfontein and Fordsburg Substations.
"Our investigations indicate that the fire was deliberately set to trip the network, likely by criminal elements targeting our infrastructure, creating an opportunity to dismantle and steal cable from within the tunnels."
Mangena said they suspect that the perpetrators may have accessed the tunnels via open manholes in the CBD.
"We also reiterate our call for intensified law enforcement intervention to address the growing threat of infrastructure-related crime" he said in a statement.
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