Third fire at City Power central substation cuts power in Marshalltown

What happened

City Power reported a fire at its central substation early on Saturday 26 September 2026 that caused a power outage affecting Marshalltown and surrounding areas. The utility said this was the third fire at the facility in recent weeks. The cause is not yet known and is part of a wider investigation. City Power said it could not yet estimate how long restoration would take and was looking at alternatives so some customers fed from the substation could be supplied while work continued. It said a suspect had been detained. A man with severe burn injuries was found at Hillbrow Clinic after reportedly emerging from smoke-filled underground cable tunnels.

Contributing factors

The cause is not reported. City Power said the repeated fires form part of a wider investigation. The source does not state that the injured man, or activity in the cable tunnels, caused this fire.

Lessons learned

1. After repeated fires at the same substation, operators should keep interim controls in place while the cause is still unknown.
2. Alternative supply arrangements should be ready when a central substation is out of service and restoration time is not yet known.
3. Underground cable tunnels should be checked after a fire for injured people and for signs of unauthorised entry.

Source

ewn.co.za