The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) has reassured inner city residents that construction of electricity infrastructure had commenced following a fire that occurred on the M1 in Braamfontein last Wednesday.
This caused power outages across areas such as Parktown, Joburg CBD and Newtown.
According to the CoJ, the fire was immediately extinguished by Johannesburg Emergency Services, and the Hazmat Unit was called to address any remaining gas concerns from underneath the tunnel near Carr Street.
The CoJ said a team from City Power was deployed to ensure rehabilitation of the damaged electricity infrastructure. The initial phase will involve clearing rubble and assessing the extent of the damage to determine the necessary scope of work and estimated restoration timeline.
City Power spokesperson, Isaac Mangena, said: “The work for clearing the rubble in the tunnels is under way, following the completion of damage assessment to the electricity infrastructure. This is a vital step in City Power’s efforts to rehabilitate the underground network, after fire broke out earlier in the week, causing a widespread power supply interruption.
“The team will remove the fragments of cement slab that cracked and peeled off due to the heat from flames, along with burnt cable and other forms of debris that have piled up on the surface of the 1.2km-long tunnel. After clearing the rubble, the entity will be in a position to provide a more accurate estimate time frame of restoration.”
The metro further noted that a Johannesburg Roads Agency team consisting of engineers, bridge specialists and consultants, was assessing the impact of the fire on critical infrastructure associated with the bridge.
The JRA will provide a detailed report once the investigation is concluded based on the condition of the bridge and implications of the fire.
Mangena said that during the cleaning process on Saturday, the City Power team had discovered that tampering of cables was likely the cause of the fire. “On Saturday, the team managed to complete the tunnel inspection. During that process, they discovered that 300 metres of copper cable had been cut and stolen, proving that tampering was the cause of the flames.”
He added that the power entity did not have alternative methods to supply electricity to all the affected areas - and only a limited number of areas were supplied with second-hand electricity.
He said that City Power was committed to reconstruct the damaged infrastructure speedily, but the repairs would take time.
The Star
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