Photo: X/@CityofTshwane
Parts of Pretoria East have been without power after the Mooikloof substation caught fire and triggered a trip at Nyala in-feed station.
The Tshwane Emergency Services Department said it was notified of the incident just before midnight on Wednesday. No injuries were reported.
Spokesperson Charles Mabaso said firefighters arrived on the scene to find parts of the substation on fire.
WATCH: Parts of Tshwane left in the dark after lightning hits substation
“They immediately commenced with fire exposure protection of the unburnt side and the firefighting. The fire was brought under control and extinguished around 00:50. They continued with cooling down operations until 01:46.”
“According to electricians on site, the switch gear room suffered extensive damage to all panels. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined,” Mabaso said.
This is not the first fire at a substation.
In February parts of Sinoville was plunged into darkness after a substation caught fire.
Panel 12 in the substation blew up when power was restored after scheduled load shedding, causing an outage to the areas fed by the substation.
Earlier this week, about 95 000 residents in Tshwane woke up with no power after a voltage transformer exploded at Babelegi substation.
Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said six substations were affected by a voltage transformer explosion at the Babelegi substation and damage to a conductor and fourth insulator at one of the main lines.
Mokwena later said power was being restored.
“Eskom has successfully replaced the voltage transformer at the Babelegi substation. As a result, the power supply has been fully restored to all the affected areas. Our dedicated team is diligently working on repairing the outstanding main line, including the conductor and the damaged insulators.”
Among the areas affected were Mathibestad, Makapanstad, GaMotla, Eersterus, Stinkwater, Dilopye, Suurman, Majaneng, Sekampaneng, Mashimong, Bridgeview, Kudube, Temba, Rens, Hans Kekana and Hammanskraal West.
Eskom has apologised for the inconvenience.
ALSO READ: UPDATE: Power being restored to 95,000 Tshwane residents after explosion
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