A second incident of power disruption has rocked the French Riviera, following a suspicious fire at a substation in Nice early Sunday morning. The blaze, deemed a "malicious act" by authorities, affected around 45,000 households. This disruption comes just one day after a significant blackout occurred in nearby Cannes, attributed to suspected sabotage during its renowned film festival.
Local police in Nice discovered "tyre tracks" and evidence of forced entry at the substation site, indicating criminal involvement. The fire began around 2:00 AM local time, impacting key services, including Nice Airport and the municipal tramway network, as well as nearby cities like Saint-Laurent-du-Var and Cagnes-sur-Mer. Power was eventually restored later that morning.
Nice's mayor, Christian Estrosi, took to social media platform X to condemn these "malicious acts," underscoring the seriousness with which local officials are treating these incidents. Deputy Mayor Gaël Nofri echoed this sentiment, suggesting the fire was likely of criminal origin, especially after the previous day's power outage in Cannes. The blackout there affected around 160,000 homes and interrupted several scheduled film screenings, forcing festival organizers to rely on private generators.
While investigations are currently underway, no definitive connection has been made between the two events as of yet. Reinforcement measures for the security of electrical sites in Nice are being discussed, with authorities focusing on organized arson as a potential motive. Nice prosecutor Damien Martinelli confirmed that investigations are progressing, aiming to determine the extent of the damage and the circumstances surrounding the incidents.
