Investigations underway following second substation fire

Springs was hurled into darkness as the JVA substation in New Era caught fire on Tuesday morning last week.

The areas affected were New Era, Pollak Park, Wright Park, Reedville, Dal Fouche, Fulcrum, New Estate, Springs Ext and surroundings.

Despite the bad weather, the fire was extinguished and power was restored within a few hours.

May
A fire also broke out at the Munic substation earlier this year. The substation situated on First Avenue caught fire during the afternoon of May 20.

The metro had then estimated the lead time for repairs to be two weeks. Months later the City of Ekurhuleni released a statement asking for the patience of residents as repairs were still underway.

“Essential equipment has been acquired to replace the material damaged by the fire. The burnt transformer has been taken in for stripping and further investigation to determine what could have been the cause of the incident.

“In the meantime parts of Springs, including the Nuffield industrial area, continue to be supplied from a temporal facility,” reads the statement.

Now
The Springs Advertiser asked the municipality if there may be an inherent problem with the town’s substations and if the fires were linked. The metro confirmed that an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the fires.

“Once the investigations reveal the cause, we shall determine the necessary interventions,” stated the metro.

Water interruptions
Water interruptions were experienced in parts of the city due to the fire on Tuesday. The fire had affected the water reservoirs.

The water supply was restored following the power outage being addressed. The CoE says it is still investigating the matter.

“A multi-disciplinary team has been working since yesterday to restore the power in the area. They have been removing debris, testing transformers, switch gear panels and cables, among other work,” it stated.

Both substations are out of commission until further notice.