Blackout in Reutlingen: fire at a substation, 30,000 people without electricity

The flames involved two transformers at the substation, as confirmed by the rescue teams: "Nach Angaben der Einsatzkräfte standen zwei Trafos in Flammen". Numerous fire crews responded to the scene, working for several hours before bringing the blaze under control: "Gegen 5.00 Uhr war das Feuer gelöscht".

The dynamics of the fire

The grid operator Netze BW reported that it had identified three separate points of fire within the perimeter of the facility: "Nach Angaben des Netzbetreibers Netze BW sind drei Brandstellen gefunden worden". A company spokesperson also reported damage to the fence and the ground in front of the structure: "Außerdem seien der Zaun und das Gelände vor der Anlage beschädigt".

The toll of the blackout is heavy. Hours after the fire, about 7,600 households were still without electricity, for a total of around 30,000 people affected, as reported by the municipal administration: "Auch Stunden nach dem Brand waren rund 7.600 Haushalte ohne Strom, das betrifft nach Angaben der Stadt etwa 30.000 Menschen".

Areas and population affected

Among the affected areas are the districts of Betzingen and Ohnenhausen, the Mark West industrial zone, as well as the neighbouring municipalities of Kirchentellinsfurt and Wannweil: "Unter anderem waren die Stadtteile Betzingen, Ohnenhausen, und das Industriegebiet Mark West nicht am Netz, auch die Gemeinden Kirchentellinsfurt und Wannweil waren ohne Strom".

The Kreisklinikum, Reutlingen's city hospital, was also affected by the blackout, but the management said the backup power systems kicked in immediately: "Betroffen war auch das Reutlinger Kreisklinikum. Die Notstromaggregate seien sofort angesprungen, hieß es dort". Ten scheduled surgeries were, however, postponed: "Insgesamt seien zehn Operationen verschoben worden".

The hospital and postponed operations

On the investigative front, police spokesperson Tina Rempfer explained that investigators are considering all possibilities, from a technical failure to arson, whether negligent or intentional: "Unsere Ermittlungen sind in jeglicher Richtung", she stated. "Wir beziehen ein, ob es eventuell ein tecnischer Defekt sein könnte oder eine Brandlegung, eventuell fahrlässig oder auch vorsätzlich", added Rempfer.

The grid operator Netze BW itself spoke of evidence pointing to a deliberate act: "Der Netzbetreiber spricht von Hinweisen auf eine Brandstiftung". This is an element that is currently being examined by investigators, pending technical expert assessments on the transformers and on the points where the three origins of the fire were identified.

The investigative hypotheses

Mayor Thomas Keck, however, urged caution, noting that the simultaneous occurrence of multiple fire points does not automatically equal an intentional cause: "Nach Angaben von Oberbürgermeister Thomas Keck müssten drei zeitgleiche Brände auch nicht zwangsläufig auf eine Brandstiftung hindeuten. 'Bei technischen Dingen kann es auch sein, dass Brände gleichzeitig ausbrechen'".

As for restoration times, forecasts remain uncertain. The municipal administration acknowledged that no reliable estimate can currently be given: "Eine belastbare Prognose zur vollständigen Wiederherstellung der Stromversorgung ist derzeit noch nicht möglich", the Stadtverwaltung reported. The Mitte substation, however, was back in operation at 6:00 a.m.: "Das Umspannwerk Mitte ist laut Stadt seit 6.00 Uhr wieder in Betrieb".

Restoration times and estimated damage

Richard Huber of Netze BW estimated that it could take up to around 48 hours to return to a full supply: "Nach Angaben von Richard Huber (Netze BW) könnte es bis zur Vollversorgung rund 48 Stunden dauern". A prospect that, combined with the ongoing disruption in the hours after the fire, is keeping residents and local authorities on alert.

Jens Balcerek, of Reutlinger Stadtwerke, stressed the priority of restoring power to the population, also by resorting to provisional solutions: "Wichtig sei es vor allem, die Bevölkerung wieder mit Strom zu versorgen - auch mit Provisorien, sagte Jens Balcerek von den Reutlinger Stadtwerken". The municipal utility is deployed in the field with its own technical teams.

To ease the disruption, mayor Roland Wintzen announced the setting up of an emergency meeting point where citizens can charge their phones or heat up baby food: "Für die Nacht wird ein Notfalltreffpunkt eingerichtet, sagte Bürgermeister Roland Wintzen. Dort sollen Menschen etwa ihr Handy laden oder Babynahrung erwärmen können".

On the economic front, the first estimates collected by dpa speak of damages in the millions of euros, although an official assessment is still pending: "Bislang wird der Schaden nach dpa-Informationen auf mehrere Millionen Euro geschätzt. Offizielle Schätzungen dazu gibt es nicht". A figure that can only be refined after technical expert assessments and the outcome of the investigation.

The debate on grid vulnerability

The incident also reignites the debate, which had already emerged in recent months, on the vulnerability of German power grids. Power systems expert Wolfrang Wellßow had addressed the issue at the beginning of the year in an interview with SWR, asking: "Drohnenangriffe, die sie aus dem Nichts mal eben machen können, wie wollen Sie davor schützen?".

Wellßow, however, had also recalled that in Germany power outages tend to be short, with an average duration of about 15 minutes, a value he described as a "super Wert" compared to other industrialised countries such as the United States or Japan: "In Deutschland seien Stromausfälle oft von kurzer Dauer - im Durchschnitt dauerten sie etwa 15 Minuten". "Dies sei ein 'super Wert' im Vergleich mit anderen Industrieländern - wie etwa den USA oder Japan".

The Reutlingen blackout does not, however, have the same scale as the one that in April 2025 affected Spain and Portugal: "Sie sind auch nicht so großflächig wie im April 2025 in Spanien und Portugal". Attention remains, however, on restoration capacity and prevention, also in light of recent precedents such as the case of Budenheim, where a ground fault had left the grid inactive for 24 hours: "Kleiner Vorfall, große Wirkung: Ein Erdschluss hat kürzlich das Stromnetz in Budenheim 24 Stunden lang lahmgelegt".

The coming hours will be decisive in understanding the exact dynamics and origin of the fire, while emergency teams and technicians from the energy companies remain at work to limit disruption in one of the most densely populated areas of Baden-Württemberg. The city has invited residents to follow official updates and to make use of the meeting point set up for the night.

No injuries directly linked to the fire at the substation have been reported at this time. The priority of the authorities, Wintzen and Keck reiterated in separate briefings, remains the safety of citizens and the progressive reconnection of users, pending the investigation's clarification of the causes of the blaze.