Overview
- Stromnetz Berlin reports 45,400 households and about 2,200 businesses lost power in Nikolassee, Zehlendorf, Wannsee and Lichterfelde after a pre‑dawn blaze damaged multiple high‑voltage cables.
- The operator is building a provisional supply and expects full reconnection by Thursday, with roughly 10,000 households in Lichterfelde targeted for earlier re‑energization from other parts of the network on Saturday evening.
- Investigators are treating the incident as suspected arson and conducting forensic work at the site, including crime‑scene technicians and a drone survey, while no motive has been confirmed.
- Emergency services deployed roughly 350 firefighters and aid organizations, evacuated residents from several care facilities, and set up assistance points as authorities warned of heating failures and patchy mobile and landline service.
- Transport and daily life are disrupted, with S‑Bahn station ticketing and information systems down though trains continue to run, many shops closed, and traffic signals offline as winter conditions slow excavation and cable‑laying.