Large parts of Pretoria West without power after switch gear room catches alight

Large parts of Pretoria West were hit by a power outage after the switch gear room of an old decommissioned power station in Proclamation Hill caught alight on Friday night.

The fire broke out at about 9pm.

City of Tshwane EMS spokesperson Charles Mabaso said when firefighters arrived at the scene, the switch gear room was in flames.

He said the city's electricity department issued a safety work permit and firefighters immediately started with firefighting operations and exposure protection of an adjacent building.

“The switch gear room had four switch components with oil that was burning intensely. The switch gear room fire affected the substations that provided most parts of Pretoria West with electricity,” he said.

He added that the roof and parts of the walls of the switch gear room roof collapsed due to intense heat and an explosion that occurred inside the room.

Ten firefighting vehicles and 26 firefighters were deployed to fight the blaze, which was contained to the switch gear room and subsequently extinguished.

“One firefighter sustained minor injuries when a fire hose nozzle hit the face shield of her helmet. She was treated at Unitas Hospital and immediately discharged,” Mabaso said. 

He added technicians from the electricity department were conducting an assessment of the extent of the damage when firefighters left the scene. 

“The cause of the fire has not been determined,” he said. 

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