WATCH: Fire at Houtkoppen substation leaves parts of northern Joburg in the dark

City Power said there is no estimated time for restoration (ERT) of power following fire at the Houtkoppen substation, north of Johannesburg.

Residents of block 10 which includes Witkoppen, North Riding, Kya Sands and other areas, were left in the dark on Tuesday night when the fire broke out.

Watch the fire at Houtkopen substation

Restoration of services

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said preliminary investigations suggest one of the jumpers broke just before 8:30 pm at the substation.

“This was just before load shedding restoration and caused a spark that started the fire.  Our operators are currently on site waiting for the Eskom team as the fire is on the Eskom side. Firefighters were also at the scene, and the fire is now out.

“Investigations will continue to determine the cause and extent of the fire. Unfortunately, there is no ETR at the moment and affected customers, mostly from Block 10, will be updated on developments throughout,” Mangena said.

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Illegal connections

Meanwhile, City Power has warned that it will increase its efforts in the fight against illegal electricity connections in Johannesburg.

The utility rolled out a massive cut-off campaign across the city in an effort to curb the scourge of illegal connections.

In a joint operation with the South African Police Services (Saps) and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), the power utility carried out a cut-off operation in Crown Mines informal settlement on Monday.

Mangena said they confiscated a large amount of cables during the operation.

“Officials found dangerously exposed cables running on the surface of the street, potentially endangering lives. Those cables were connected to our local transformers, to power hundreds of households, illegally.

“Crown Mines, like many informal settlements in the area, accommodate a lot of illegal miners. Illegal mining has become a rising concern to City Power’s electricity grid and infrastructure which contribute to service delivery challenges,” Mangena said.

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