A fire and explosion at the Watloo Substation on Tuesday morning disrupted electricity supply to several parts of eastern and northeastern Pretoria.
The incident caused a 132kV supply line to trip, cutting power to several primary substations in the affected areas.
Lynnwood, Wapadrand, Mooikloof, Willows, Scientia, Pumulani, Pyramid, Koedoespoort and parts of Mamelodi were among the areas affected.
The central and western parts of Pretoria remained connected to the electricity grid.
Tshwane Emergency Services Department spokesperson Nana Radebe-Kgiba said emergency crews from Mamelodi and Silverton responded to the fire.
Firefighters used foam and water tankers to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading.
City of Tshwane electricity technicians are also at the substation assessing the situation and securing the damaged infrastructure.
Radebe-Kgiba said a full investigation would only begin once firefighting operations had been completed and it was safe for technical teams to assess the damage.
“Preliminary investigations will be conducted when firefighting operations have concluded, and it is safe for the relevant technical personnel to conduct a full assessment of the affected infrastructure,” she said.
Residents have been urged to stay away from the substation while emergency and technical teams work at the scene.
“Fires involving electrical infrastructure can pose significant risks,” Radebe-Kgiba said.
“The public should not attempt to approach, inspect or intervene at the affected substation and should instead allow trained emergency and technical personnel to manage the situation.”
The City said an estimated restoration time would be provided once technical teams had safely assessed the damage.
