A veld fire in the south of Johannesburg caused great damage to City Power’s infrastructures in Mondeor on Friday night.
The 11 KV transformer in Ashden Road, Mondeor, caught fire and the infrastructure and electrical equipment were almost completely destroyed.
Power supply to Cadogan Street, Columbine Avenue, Ashden and Constantia Roads was affected.
“The fire at the substation broke out when the flames of a nearby veld fire set the roof on fire,” said Isaac Mangena, City Power’s spokesperson, in a statement.
“Wildfires can cause damage to various parts of the infrastructure.”
Technicians were immediately called to the substation to try to restore power supply to the surrounding parts. Alternative connections are being considered until a new mini-substation is ready.
“The last few power outages on the 88 KV power lines followed after fires broke out in the servitudes around power poles,” says Mangena.
“We are going to cut grass into servitudes with the help of Johannesburg’s Parks Board to try to prevent this type of fire.”
Mangena asked the community not to start fires under or near power stations or infrastructure.
