Power supply active in Southeast Berlin
In a shocking turn of events, Berlin has experienced the longest power outage in the last 25 years, affecting over 50,000 customers. The cause of this disruption was an arson attack on several thick high-voltage lines at the base of two power poles in Berlin-Johannisthal.
The fire, which took an hour for the fire department to extinguish, destroyed the vital power lines. As a result, several S-Bahn stations, shopping centers, many individual businesses, nursing homes, and several schools were left without power. Tram services were temporarily halted, but resumed shortly after power was restored.
Berlin's Interior Senator, Iris Spranger (SPD), stated in the House of Representatives that the perpetrators are assumed to come from the left-wing extremist spectrum. The perpetrators, who acted with high criminal energy and were very professional, are politically aligned with groups similar to the "Flammende Herzen," a group associated with revolutionary left-wing and autonomous movements.
The arson attack resembles a similar attack from February near the Tesla car factory in Brandenburg. A manifesto published online, considered authentic, bears similarities to a manifesto from a similar arson attack in February. The perpetrators are not believed to be from abroad but from within the country, according to the Interior Senator.
The grid operator, Stromnetz, reported that all customers in the southeastern part of the capital are now back online. Repairs to the damaged high-voltage cables began on Tuesday but were time-consuming. Due to the power outage, mobile networks were weakened or non-existent in some areas, making it difficult to make calls, including emergency numbers 112 and 110.
This large-scale power outage brings back memories of the major blackout in 2019 in Köpenick, where over 30,000 households were without electricity for around 30 hours. However, the current outage lasted around 60 hours, making it the longest in the last 25 years.
While the situation has been resolved, the incident serves as a reminder of the importance of our infrastructure and the potential threats it faces. The authorities are urging vigilance and are actively investigating the case to bring those responsible to justice.
