Daijiworld Media Network - Berlin

Berlin, Jan 4: Large parts of south-west Berlin were left without electricity for days after a fire damaged high-voltage power lines, with city authorities on Sunday calling it a politically motivated attack by suspected left-wing extremists.

The fire broke out early Saturday on a cable bridge over the Teltow Canal near the Lichterfelde power plant, officials said. Initially, electricity supply was disrupted to over 45,000 households and around 2,200 businesses across four districts. The outage also affected heating systems and internet services, worsening the situation for residents amid freezing temperatures.

Berlin’s Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey termed the incident a “particularly severe power outage,” noting that essential services including care facilities, hospitals, social institutions and several companies were impacted.

Although power was restored to thousands of households by Sunday, authorities warned that many areas could remain without electricity until Thursday, as repair work is being hampered by snow and extreme cold.

The incident is being probed as suspected arson. Investigators are examining a letter claiming responsibility for the attack, while drawing parallels with a similar power outage in southeast Berlin last September, when radical activists had claimed involvement.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner strongly condemned the act, stating that “clearly left-wing extremists” were responsible. He said such attacks on critical infrastructure were unacceptable as they endangered human lives.

Authorities said efforts are underway to restore full power supply at the earliest and to ensure accountability for the attack.