Investigators Suspect Arson Behind Reutlingen Power Outage

German investigators believe a major power outage in Reutlingen, Baden-Württemberg, was caused by deliberate arson.

According to the Baden-Württemberg criminal police office, one or more unidentified perpetrators entered the grounds of the Reutlingen-West electrical substation overnight from 7 to 8 June and started fires at several points. Investigators also found evidence that an accelerant may have been used.

The case is being handled by the state security center at the Stuttgart public prosecutor general’s office because investigators have not ruled out a possible extremist motive. No suspects have been identified, however, and authorities have found no evidence of a political background or received any claim of responsibility.

The fire disabled the Reutlingen-West substation and caused a second facility to fail, triggering a large-scale outage. About 7,600 buildings and approximately 40,000 people in Reutlingen and parts of Wannweil and Kirchentellinsfurt lost electricity. The disruption also affected the city hospital and local businesses.

Reutlingen Mayor Thomas Keck said the outage had endangered human lives and called for those responsible to be identified and brought to justice.

Power was restored to nearly all private households by the evening of 8 June. The remaining approximately 50 commercial connections were brought back online late on 10 June, restoring supplies to all households and businesses in and around the city.

Temporary changes to the electricity network made the rapid restoration possible, but repairs to the damaged substation are expected to take several months. Network operator Netze BW has also announced plans to review and strengthen security precautions around its infrastructure.

(max)