Parts of Alrode North outside Alberton and Thokoza township in Ekurhuleni were affected by power outages on Wednesday after the Bosworth electrical substation burnt down on Tuesday evening.
The Ekurhuleni Disaster Management and Emergency Services (DMES) team received an alarm about a structural fire just before 11pm.
Spokesperson William Ntladi said the primary responding crews from Alberton had to call for back-up before arrival on the scene, as “humongous flames” could be seen from a distance.
“On arrival, an electrical panel house was found to be fully engulfed in flames, and part of the roof sheeting had already caved in,” he said.
An electrician had to be called to the scene to assist with safety practices before extinguishing the blaze.
“After the all clear signal was given, fire suppression commenced. Three attack lines were used to contain and extinguish the blaze. Exposure protection of all three transformers was taken into deep consideration. Defensively, water was sprayed on top of them to cool off.”
Tladi said a power surge might be the cause of the fire.
“It is alleged that there was a power failure in the area and immediately as the power was restored, there was a huge explosive sound heard from one of the transformers. Right away, flames were seen coming from an electrical panel building.”
Further updates will be provided to residents later in the day.
Investigations into the circumstances of the fire will be conducted by safety officers.
TimesLIVE
[SRC] https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2025-09-24-fire-guts-ekurhuleni-substation-sparking-widespread-outages/
