CHENNAI: On Thursday night, a massive power outage left nearly 10 lakh homes in North and Central Chennai without electricity after a fire broke out at the 400 kV Substation (SS) in Manali, situated on the outskirts of the city.

The incident, which occurred around 9 pm, caused a widespread disruption in the power supply to several key areas. The chairman and managing director of TANGEDCO, Rajesh Lakhani, arrived at the site to evaluate the situation.

Speaking to The New Indian Express, Lakhani said, “A minor fire accident occurred at the 400 kV Substation due to an electrical trip. Our officials are working on a bypass line to restore power at the earliest. Fire and rescue teams are also on-site, extinguishing the flames. Power has already been restored in areas like Valluvar Kottam.”

He assured that power in other affected areas of North Chennai would be restored soon.

Critical Disruption

The fire severely impacted the functioning of the Manali substation, which is critical in evacuating power from North Chennai thermal power stations to other substations like Basin Bridge and Tondiarpet. Power supply was interrupted for nearly four hours, affecting residents across areas such as Periyamedu, Egmore, Triplicane, Mylapore, Nungambakkam, Vadapalani, Thiruvanmiyur, and Adyar.

Protests and Traffic Chaos

Frustrated residents in areas like KK Nagar and Periyamedu took to the streets to protest the prolonged power cut, while others vented their grievances on social media, complaining that the TANGEDCO helpline (1912) was unreachable. Attempts to contact the helpline were met with messages indicating that the number was switched off.

The power cut also led to heavy traffic jams on major roads, including Anna Salai and Central, as motorists struggled with the lack of street lighting.

Investigation Underway

A senior TANGEDCO official stated that an investigation is ongoing to determine the exact cause of the fire. “Feeder lines were also damaged in the fire, but we are working swiftly to restore power connections across the city,” he added, assuring that normalcy would return by late night.

Though the fire caused significant inconvenience, authorities are prioritizing efforts to resolve the situation and restore power to all affected areas.