Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Suspected Arson Cuts Power to Southwest Berlin, Repairs Expected Through Thursday

Police are verifying a claim of responsibility after a cable‑bridge fire damaged high‑voltage lines supplying the Lichterfelde plant.

Overview

  • About 45,400 households and roughly 2,200 businesses in Lichterfelde, Zehlendorf, Nikolassee and Wannsee lost electricity early Saturday.
  • Stromnetz Berlin is building a temporary bypass and aims to re‑energize about 10,000 Lichterfelde households Saturday evening, with full restoration projected by Thursday, January 8, as winter conditions slow deep excavation and cable work.
  • Heating systems and telecoms are disrupted, shops and traffic signals are down, and S‑Bahn trains continue to run even as several stations lack power for ticketing and passenger information.
  • Emergency services deployed hundreds of responders, set up shelters and charging points, and relocated residents from at least two care homes while assessing further needs.
  • Investigators are treating the blaze as suspected arson, reviewing a claim‑of‑responsibility, securing footprints and aerial images with a drone, and note the scale echoes a politically motivated 2025 attack on exposed power infrastructure.