A fire involving electrical cables on a bridge in south-west Berlin on Saturday resulted in a significant power outage affecting approximately 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses. The far-left activist group Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group) claimed responsibility for the incident, stating their actions targeted the fossil fuel economy. Officials anticipate full power restoration by Thursday, while investigations into the cause are ongoing.
Incident Details
On Saturday, a fire broke out on a cable bridge over the Teltow Canal near the Lichterfelde power station in south-west Berlin. The fire, which was quickly extinguished, involved several electrical cables. The state economy minister for Berlin reported that incendiary devices caused the damage.
Impact and Restoration Efforts
The incident led to widespread electricity loss for tens of thousands of residents and businesses across four districts. Initially, grid operator Stromnetz Berlin reported 45,000 households and 2,200 commercial entities without power.
By Sunday afternoon, power had been restored to an estimated 10,000 households and 300 businesses. However, 35,000 households and 1,900 businesses remained without electricity. Stromnetz Berlin projected full power restoration for all affected customers by Thursday afternoon.
The power disruption had several immediate effects:
- Some schools were scheduled to remain closed at the beginning of the week following the Christmas holidays.
- Hospitals and care facilities in the affected zone utilized emergency power generators.
- Individuals from care sites and those requiring home care were transferred to facilities with available capacity. Some hospitals reported restored electricity by Sunday.
- The region experienced snowy conditions and sub-zero daily temperatures during the outage.
Claim of Responsibility
Germany's Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group), identified as a far-left activist organization, issued a public statement claiming responsibility for the incident. The group stated that its action targeted the fossil fuel economy and the buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure, describing it as an "act of self-defence" and an expression of solidarity with environmental protection efforts. The Vulkangruppe also expressed an apology to less affluent residents affected by the power cuts, while stating they had less sympathy for "the many owners of villas." News outlets have not independently verified the letter issued by the group.
Official Response and Investigation
Police officials informed AFP news agency that they consider the Vulkangruppe's statement "plausible" and credible as investigations continue.
Berlin's Mayor condemned the incident, attributing it to "suspected left-wing extremists" and stating they knowingly endangered lives, particularly those of hospital patients.
Berlin's Interior Affairs Minister, Iris Spranger, described the event as "left-wing terrorism," distinguishing it from "left-wing extremism," and stated that "collateral damage to the life and limb of people in #Berlin was deliberately accepted."
Previous Actions
The Vulkangruppe previously claimed responsibility for a suspected arson attack in 2024 that halted production at Tesla's Berlin car factory.