BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – A massive explosion at a generating substation of the Edesur company in the key Caballito neighborhood left thousands of users in Buenos Aires without electricity for several hours. The incident, which occurred on Saturday, affected around 60,000 users and left over 30,000 households without power. It took firefighters six hours to control the flames, and nearby buildings were evacuated as a precaution, although no fatalities were reported.
The explosion impacted customers in the Caballito, Parque Chacabuco, and Almagro communes, leading to a power outage that also affected the Water and Sanitation Argentina (AySA) pumping plant, leaving many homes without drinking water. While no casualties were reported, several people had to be assisted for smoke-related suffocation.
Edesur reported that service had been restored to 80% of the affected customers, and the company is working on installing large generators to further reduce the number of affected customers. The company also stated that an emergency operating plan had been put in place, mobilizing large generators and transferring demand to other facilities while carrying out temporary works to minimize the affected area.
The National Entity Regulating Electricity (ENRE) reported that it will carry out an investigation to determine the causes of the fire, while AySA announced a contingency plan until power is fully restored. In the meantime, pot-banging protests took place in many streets in Caballito during the weekend.
Edesur stated that the explosion may have been caused during a maintenance crew’s scheduled oil filtration activity in one of the main transformers, and the company is working to determine the exact cause of the fire. The incident has sparked concerns among residents, who have voiced dissatisfaction with the frequency of power outages and the impact it has on their daily lives. The ongoing repair work and investigation will provide more insights into the cause of the explosion and the measures that can be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.