PTA East substation fire contained

Residents of the areas affected by a power failure in Pretoria East have been urged to be patient, as it would take time for technicians to attend to the problem, Pretoria East Rekord reports.

Earlier on Tuesday, a fire broke out at the Wapadrand substation plunging several suburbs into darkness.

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Tshwane emergency services spokesperson Johan Pieterse said the fire had since been put out. No injuries were reported.

Photo: Supplied

MMC for utility services Darryl Moss said although the fire has been put out technicians have not been able to work on the substation due to heat emissions that are making it impossible for them to enter the substation and conduct necessary repairs.

Photo: Supplied

Photo: Supplied

“We have no estimation as to when the power will be restored to the affected areas, but it could take over 24 hours,” Moss said.

He said technicians were looking at solutions and options of feeding power from various stations to assist the affect areas.

He said technicians will isolate the line and commence with investigations on the cause of the fire and effect the necessary repairs and residents will be kept abreast of developments.

Areas affected by the outage include Wapadrand, Equestria, Silver Lakes, Faerie Glen, Lombardy, Tierpoort and Olympus.

Photo: Supplied

Ward 44 councillor Ernst Botha said all relevant parties were on site. He apologised for the inconvenience caused and pleaded with the affected residents to allow the city’s technical team to conduct their work unhindered.

Photo: Supplied

Affected customers were urged to report power failures by SMSing the word “power” followed by your account number to 082 612 0333 or 44676. Or report power failure to 012 358 9999, choosing the electricity option or 080 1111 556.

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