Within the span of just two days, the French Riviera region has been struck by a second power outage, following a devastating fire at a Nice substation during the overnight hours. Authorities have attributed this incident to a malicious act, leaving at least 45,000 households in the dark. The blaze erupted around 02:00 local time (01:00 BST) on Sunday, a day after the nearby city of Cannes experienced a massive blackout suspected to be a result of sabotage.
According to local media reports, Nice police have discovered "tyre tracks" and a "broken" door at the substation located in the western part of the city. The aftermath of the fire disrupted services at Nice Airport, the tramway network, and neighboring towns of Saint-Laurent-du-Var and Cagnes-sur-Mer, until power was eventually restored later in the morning.
Nice's mayor, Christian Estrosi, issued a strong condemnation on X, stressing his outrage over the "malicious acts that plague our country." The city's deputy mayor, Gaël Nofri, echoed this sentiment, suggesting that the substation fire was "likely of criminal origin."
Just a day prior, Cannes was also plagued by a significant blackout during the international film festival. Officials speculated that an arson attack on a substation might have been the culprit, plunging approximately 160,000 homes in the city and surrounding areas into darkness. The power outage interrupted several screenings in the morning, prompting festival organizers to switch to private generators to resume operations.
Currently, no definitive link has been established between the two incidents. In response, Estrosi announced that authorities will bolster the security network surrounding Nice's electrical facilities. An investigation into the possibility of "organized arson" has been initiated.
Nice prosecutor Damien Martinelli, quoted by AFP news agency, confirmed that investigations were ongoing, with a particular focus on "clarifying the extent of the damage and the methodology used to commit the act."
