Substation fire in Gżira causes outage and precautionary evacuations
July 2024Published 29 Sept 2026
Companies named in this entry: Enemalta
What happened
On 29 July 2024 a small fire developed at about 13:00 at the Gżira substation in Triq Sir Patrick Stuart, in a private apartments block. Civil Protection members were called to control the flames, which were extinguished shortly afterwards. Police evacuated some residents as a precaution and confirmed that no one was hurt. Enemalta said the incident caused a power outage affecting some 3,276 consumers. Supply was restored in less than an hour to most houses and businesses, while about 300 consumers connected directly to the substation were still without electricity while repairs were prepared.
Lessons learned
- A substation inside a residential block can require precautionary evacuation even when a fire is small and quickly extinguished.
- Customers supplied directly from a damaged substation may remain without power after supply to the wider area has been restored.
- Early joint attendance by the fire service and the network operator supports both fire control and preparation for repairs.
Source
Published 2026-09-29. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.