A fire broke out on January 3, on a cable bridge over the Teltow Canal which left over 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses without power across four districts
AP reporters and Tannur Anders
01:21, 05 Jan 2026
Households and businesses in south-west Berlin could go days without electricity after power lines were damaged by a fire in what officials said was a politically-motivated attack.
A fire broke out on the morning of Saturday, January 3, on a cable bridge over the Teltow Canal, near the Lichterfelde power plant in Berlin, according to local authorities. City authorities said on Sunday, January 4 that the fire was a result of a politically motivated attack by "left-wing extremists."
Over 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses in four districts were without electricity, while heating and internet services were also affected.
The incident is being investigated as a possible act of arson.
Authorities compared it to a similar power outage in September in south-east Berlin. Radical activists claimed responsibility for the incident in September, the Associated Press reported.
Authorities were working to confirm the authenticity of a letter claiming responsibility for the incident that took place on Saturday.
The perpetrators were "clearly left-wing extremists," Berlin's Mayor Kai Wegner said to a German news agency.
"It is unacceptable that once again clearly left-wing extremists have attacked our power grid and thereby endangered human lives," Wegner said.
The city's Senator for Economic Affairs, Franziska Giffey, said the incident was "a particularly severe power outage" and that tens of thousands of households and businesses were affected. Those impacted includes care facilities, hospitals, social institutions and companies.
Power was restored to thousands of households by Sunday, but many others are likely to be left in the dark until Thursday, authorities said.
Snowy weather and freezing temperatures has slowed efforts to restore power. These weather conditions has made life more difficult for those affected.