Suspected vandal badly burnt in central substation fire - TimesLIVE

A person suspected of being involved in vandalism at Johannesburg’s central substation was badly burnt by a fire that damaged critical electricity infrastructure and plunged parts of the inner city into darkness.

The suspect remains in a critical condition in hospital under police guard as investigations continue into the fire, which broke out at about 4am on Saturday.

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said technical teams found an axe, a jigsaw and other equipment commonly associated with cable theft when they entered the underground tunnels on Sunday after the site was cleared by emergency services.

Mangena said most of the equipment was found beneath the damaged feeder board, where there was evidence of attempts to cut copper cables connected to the equipment.

“Preliminary observations suggest the suspected tampering may have triggered the explosion and subsequent fire,” Mangena said.

The fire damaged a feeder board and associated cables, leaving customers in Marshalltown and surrounding parts of the Johannesburg CBD without electricity.

City Power teams withdrew from the affected section after the discovery to allow law enforcement authorities to secure the scene, collect evidence and investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Mangena said City Power believed more than one person may have been involved and investigations were continuing into possible organised criminal activity targeting the underground electricity network.

Once law enforcement releases the site, City Power technical teams will resume work to assess the damaged infrastructure, remove rubble and determine the materials and equipment needed for repairs.

The utility is also exploring alternative electricity supply points to determine whether some affected customers can be restored while it prepares the main repairs.

There is currently no estimated restoration time as the full extent of the damage has yet to be established.