Since early Saturday morning, around 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses in Berlin's southwest have been without power, caused by a fire on a cable bridge over the Teltow Canal. Police are investigating arson, and a claim of responsibility is under review. Power restoration could take until Thursday, January 8, 2026.
The power outage started on Saturday morning, January 3, 2026, in Berlin's districts of Nikolassee, Zehlendorf, Wannsee, and Lichterfelde. Around 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district are affected. The cause is a fire on the cable bridge over the Teltow Canal to the Lichterfelde power plant, damaging several high-voltage cables. Police and the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) are investigating suspected arson; a claim of responsibility is being verified for authenticity by state protection authorities. Footprints in the snow have been secured, and witness tips are being sought.
Power grid operator Stromnetz Berlin estimates repairs, involving extensive excavation and the wintry weather with snow and cold, will take until Thursday afternoon. From Saturday evening, 10,000 households in Lichterfelde are to be supplied from alternative grids. The impacts are severe: Traffic lights, heating, internet, and mobile networks fail; supermarkets and restaurants close. In care homes and clinics, common in the aging region, residents must be evacuated; firefighters have already relocated patients from two facilities. Over 350 firefighters are deployed, supported by the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW). Emergency shelters and phone charging points have been set up, e.g., at Rathaus Wannsee and Mexikoplatz.
S-Bahn services are disrupted: Lines S1 (Zehlendorf-Wannsee), S7 (Charlottenburg-Potsdam), and regional trains RE1 and RE7 are partially out, with replacement buses running. Police advise via loudspeaker vans and social media to stay with relatives and assist vulnerable neighbors. An emergency doctor described the situation as 'war-like conditions.' The incident recalls a September 2025 outage in southeast Berlin affecting 50,000 customers, triggered by a politically motivated arson attack.