A major power outage has struck five districts in southwestern Berlin, and police are investigating it as a suspected arson attack. The blackout began in the early hours of Saturday and has left up to 50,000 households and 2,200 commercial entities without electricity, according to local provider Stromnetz Berlin. Residents are facing freezing temperatures of –7 °C to –1 °C, and the outage is expected to last until at least January 8.
The incident was caused by a fire that damaged a power bridge over the Teltow Canal in the city’s southern part. Several nursing homes and elderly‑care centers were evacuated as a precaution, but no casualties have been reported. Police are treating the event as a targeted attack and are reviewing a letter from a group calling itself the “Volcano Group,” which claims responsibility.
The Volcano Group describes itself as climate activists and anti‑fascists. In the letter, they say the sabotage was aimed at the fossil‑fuel industry and “the rich,” arguing that natural‑resource extraction is destroying the Earth and that humanity “can no longer afford the rich.” They claim the action was “socially beneficial” and that they have “successfully sabotaged” a gas power plant. The regional office of the German domestic security service is verifying the authenticity of the letter.
According to reports, the Volcano Group has carried out similar attacks in the past, including the sabotage of two power cables in southeastern Berlin in September, which left around 50,000 households without power. The incident underscores a growing trend of climate activism that employs increasingly disruptive tactics to draw attention to the cause. Such sabotage and vandalism raise concerns about public safety and the vulnerability of critical infrastructure.
The investigation into the Berlin power outage remains ongoing, and authorities are working to restore electricity to the affected areas as quickly as possible.
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