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Suspected Arson at Cable Bridge Cuts Power to Southwest Berlin for Days

Repairs require complex excavation after high‑voltage lines were burned, prompting a phased reconnection that is slated to conclude Thursday.

Overview

  • About 45,400 households and roughly 2,200 businesses in Nikolassee, Zehlendorf, Wannsee and Lichterfelde lost electricity after a pre‑dawn fire on a cable bridge to the Lichterfelde plant.
  • Stromnetz Berlin is building a provisional supply and aims to reconnect around 10,000 households in Lichterfelde from Saturday evening, with full service expected by Thursday, January 8.
  • Police are investigating suspected arson; state security is assessing an incoming claim of responsibility as forensic teams secure footprints and survey the site with drones.
  • Roughly 350 firefighters and support services evacuated care facilities, set up help points and planned shelters as heating, mobile networks, shops and traffic signals were disrupted; S‑Bahn trains run but station systems are down.
  • The outage echoes a September 2025 attack that cut power to about 50,000 customers, highlighting experts’ concerns about exposed transition points where buried lines surface.