VIENNA

The power outage that has affected thousands of people in Berlin since an arson attack on Jan. 3 has been widely criticized by German media.

Thousands of people in southwest Berlin continue without heating or electricity despite freezing temperatures after a major power outage caused by an arson attack on Saturday.

The fire damaged electricity cables, cutting power to about 50,000 households and 2,000 commercial businesses, affecting more than 100,000 people.

The German daily Tageszeitung said in a report that the outage did not affect only the wealthy, noting that while the poor were forced to sleep in gymnasiums, the wealthy booked hotel suites.

It said that economically disadvantaged groups suffered because suburban transport stopped running, while the affluent were able to continue traveling by car.

According to Die Welt, thousands in the capital began the new year without electricity amid snow and freezing temperatures, with many schools temporarily closed.

It noted that the frustration with authorities was steadily increasing.

Bild reported that traffic in affected areas was still being directed by police hand signals, further citing citywide traffic problems caused by non-functioning traffic lights.

Die Zeit wrote that part of Germany’s capital has turned into a disaster zone, adding that respiratory devices in a care facility were at risk of malfunctioning.

Berliner Morgenpost criticized Berlin as being inadequate in terms of disaster preparedness.

The report pointed out that authorities reacted too late, noting that a crisis team was convened only 13 hours after the attack was reported.

It also recalled that a report presented in November described Berlin’s state of disaster preparedness as concerning.

The far-left Vulkan Group, known for similar attacks in the past, claimed responsibility for the sabotage in a letter titled: “Cutting off power to those in power.”

The group claimed it had successfully sabotaged a natural gas power plant, portraying the attack as an act of international solidarity against the fossil fuel industry.

Authorities said the Vulkangruppe has been linked to multiple arson attacks in Berlin and Brandenburg since 2011, and has also been associated with attacks on the electrical infrastructure of a Tesla factory in 2021 and 2024.

Berlin’s state intelligence agency, Office for the Protection of the Constitution, classifies the group as anarchist.