Berlin is offering free hotel accommodation to residents still without electricity and heating after a suspected arson attack on the city’s power grid plunged parts of the southwest into darkness during sub-zero winter temperatures.

The emergency measure, announced on Tuesday, is intended to help some of the roughly 28,000 remaining affected households whose homes have become too cold to inhabit safely, and who are unable or unwilling to stay in temporary shelters or with friends and family.

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City Moves To House Residents As Blackout Drags On

Local authorities in Berlin have moved to secure hotel rooms across the city for residents struggling through a fourth consecutive day without power.

The offer covers free overnight stays in selected hotels for people registered in the affected districts who can demonstrate hardship, with room costs reimbursed by the city-state government.

Officials stressed that priority will go to families with children, elderly residents, people with disabilities and those with medical conditions exacerbated by cold housing.

The scheme comes as temperatures in the German capital hover below freezing, pushing indoor temperatures in unheated buildings to uncomfortable and potentially dangerous levels.

Emergency shelters, gymnasiums and community centers have been operating at full capacity since the outage began, and local authorities acknowledged that not everyone can or wants to sleep on camp beds in large halls for several nights in a row.

The hotel option is meant to provide a more dignified and stable alternative while repair work continues.

Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner confirmed that the city will bear the full cost of the hotel stays. Residents must show proof of residence in one of the affected neighborhoods and present identification, and in some cases additional documentation may be requested to confirm personal hardship.

VisitBerlin, the capital’s official tourism organization, is coordinating with participating hotels and publishing updated information for those seeking rooms.

From Fire On A Cable Bridge To Days Without Power

The crisis began early on Saturday when a fire broke out on a cable bridge over the Teltow Canal near the Lichterfelde combined heat and power plant in southwest Berlin.

The blaze severely damaged multiple high-voltage lines that supply electricity to the surrounding districts.

Grid operator Stromnetz Berlin said that at the height of the disruption, power was cut to approximately 45,000 to 50,000 households and more than 2,000 businesses in the Nikolassee, Zehlendorf, Wannsee and Lichterfelde neighborhoods.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames, but the scale of the damage left swathes of the city in the dark and without heating or hot water.

Authorities initially warned that repairs would be complex and could take several days, a forecast that has proved correct as crews continue struggling with frozen ground and intricate underground cable work.

By Tuesday, power had been restored to around 19,500 households, leaving roughly 25,000 to 28,000 still offline and reliant on generators, shelters or temporary accommodation.

The outage has not only cut electricity to homes, but has also disrupted district heating systems and some communications networks. Residents have reported failing elevators, frozen pipes, water damage from burst mains, and a lack of mobile coverage in certain areas.

Local transport infrastructure has also been affected, with some station systems and ticket machines temporarily out of service even as trains continue to run.

Arson Attack And Political Motives Under Investigation

Berlin police and federal security agencies are treating the fire as a deliberate attack on critical infrastructure.

Investigators quickly opened an arson case after initial examinations of the cable bridge and surrounding area indicated that the blaze did not start accidentally.

Over the weekend, a lengthy online statement attributed to a far-left group known as Vulkangruppe claimed responsibility for the sabotage, describing it as an act of protest against fossil fuel infrastructure, data centers and energy use in affluent neighborhoods.

Authorities say the letter appears credible and are investigating the group’s role in detail. Berlin’s mayor has publicly condemned the act as left-wing extremism and characterized the attack as an act of terrorism that deliberately endangered human life.

Security officials have drawn parallels with previous incidents targeting power infrastructure in and around the city, including a major outage in southeast Berlin in 2025 that also followed suspected arson on high-voltage cables.

German federal officials have warned for some time that power grids, rail networks and digital infrastructure are vulnerable to both domestic extremists and foreign actors.

The Berlin blackout has quickly become part of a broader national debate about how well Germany is prepared to protect essential services amid a more tense security environment, climate activism on the fringes and rising polarization.

For residents still without heating, however, the discussion is less about geopolitics and more about when the lights and radiators will finally return.

Hotels Step In As January Tourism Lull Creates Capacity

Berlin’s hotel sector has moved swiftly to support the emergency accommodation program, helped by the fact that January is typically one of the quietest months of the year for tourism.

Industry representatives say occupancy rates in the first weeks of the year are often well below peak-season levels, leaving thousands of vacant rooms across all price categories.

This slack capacity has enabled many properties to open their doors to local residents without displacing visitors.

Hotel associations in the city reported that more than a hundred properties had already offered special blackout rates over the weekend, even before the city committed to reimbursing full costs.

With the new scheme in place, those rate reductions are being converted into fully subsidized stays for eligible residents.

Participating hotels include both large chain properties and smaller independent establishments spread across various districts, not just in the directly affected neighborhoods.

For hoteliers, the program offers a way to support local communities while keeping at least part of their workforce active during an otherwise slow period.

Some managers have noted that many staff members live in or near the affected districts themselves, giving the initiative an additional personal dimension.

A number of hotels are also providing extras such as extended breakfast hours, children’s play corners and access to laundry facilities to accommodate families who may be away from home for several nights.

Impact On Daily Life, From Care Homes To Corner Cafes

The power cut has disrupted virtually every aspect of daily life in the southwestern districts.

Care homes and hospitals have relied on backup generators to maintain critical services, while emergency teams from the fire brigade, police and the German military have been deployed door to door to check on especially vulnerable residents.

Authorities say that electricity has now been restored to most hospital facilities and nearly all affected care homes, easing immediate fears about patient safety.

For many ordinary residents, the challenges have been more mundane but still severe. Without heating, apartments have quickly cooled to near outdoor temperatures, particularly in older, less insulated buildings.

Residents have reported sleeping in multiple layers of clothing and using battery-powered lamps and candles. In some multi-story blocks, upper-floor residents have found themselves effectively stranded when elevators stopped working.

Concerns about burst water pipes and the rapid growth of mold in unheated, humid interiors have prompted repeated warnings from local media and city officials.

Small businesses have also been hit hard. Cafes, bakeries and grocery stores without generators have been forced to close, throwing away spoiled food stock and losing crucial revenue at the start of the year.

Some merchants have set up temporary operations in neighboring districts where power remains available, while others have resorted to cash-only sales during limited opening hours.

Tourism businesses in the affected neighborhoods report cancellations and a complete halt in local activity, though operators elsewhere in the city remain largely unaffected.

Emergency Shelters, Transport And Public Services

From the first hours of the blackout, the city’s civil protection authorities opened a network of emergency shelters in schools, sports halls and community centers across southwest Berlin.

These facilities provide heated spaces, camp beds, hot drinks and basic meals, as well as charging points for mobile devices.

Volunteers from aid organizations, including the German Red Cross and the Technical Relief Agency, have been on hand to distribute blankets, offer information and assist those with limited mobility.

Public transport has continued to operate, but with limitations in the areas hardest hit by the outage.

Some suburban rail stations have been running without electronic signage or functioning ticket machines, requiring staff to provide information directly to passengers.

Traffic lights in certain intersections initially failed, prompting police to deploy officers for manual traffic control until temporary power solutions could be put in place.

City services have urged residents who are not directly affected to conserve energy where possible, in order to stabilize the wider network as cables are rerouted and temporary connections are established.

Authorities have also asked Berliners to look out for neighbors who may need assistance, particularly older people living alone and families with young children.

Information points and mobile advice teams have been deployed in selected areas to answer questions and direct people to shelters, hotels or medical services as needed.

Travel And Tourism: What Visitors To Berlin Need To Know

For travelers already in Berlin or planning to arrive in the coming days, the blackout has so far had only localized effects.

The city’s main transport hubs, including its international airport and central railway stations, are operating normally.

Most major tourist attractions, museums and cultural institutions are located outside the affected districts and remain open, though some venues have introduced minor adjustments to lighting or heating to support the overall effort to save energy.

Visitors staying in or near Nikolassee, Zehlendorf, Wannsee or Lichterfelde should check directly with their accommodation providers to confirm whether power and heating are fully available.

Hotels participating in the city’s emergency scheme are prioritizing residents from the blackout zones, but many have spare capacity to host tourists as well, particularly in central districts.

Travel agents in Germany report isolated rebookings and a small number of cancellations, but no large-scale disruption to city breaks or business trips at this stage.

Tourism officials emphasize that Berlin remains safe and accessible, and that local authorities are working intensively to restore normal service across the entire grid.

They advise travelers to stay informed through official channels, be prepared for colder outdoor conditions than usual, and allow a little extra time when moving through parts of the southwest where temporary traffic measures or reduced public services might still be in effect.

For many visitors, the most visible sign of the crisis may be the presence of additional emergency vehicles and utility crews in specific neighborhoods.

FAQ

Q1: Who is eligible for the free hotel accommodation in Berlin?
Residents registered in the districts affected by the ongoing power outage, whose homes are currently without electricity and heating and who face particular hardship, are eligible for free hotel accommodation arranged and reimbursed by the city authorities.

Q2: How can affected residents access the free hotel offer?
Affected residents must contact participating hotels directly and present proof of residence, valid identification and, where required, documentation of personal hardship; many properties are listed via the city’s tourism and information channels and through local district offices.

Q3: Which areas of Berlin are most affected by the blackout?
The outage primarily affects neighborhoods in the southwest of the city, including Nikolassee, Zehlendorf, Wannsee and Lichterfelde, where thousands of households and businesses have experienced prolonged loss of electricity and heating.

Q4: How long is the power outage expected to last?
Grid operator forecasts indicate that complex repair work on the damaged high-voltage cables will likely continue until at least Thursday, meaning that some households could face several more days before full power is restored.

Q5: What caused the power outage in the first place?
Authorities say a fire on a cable bridge near the Lichterfelde power plant severely damaged multiple high-voltage lines, and investigators are treating the incident as a deliberate arson attack on the city’s power infrastructure.

Q6: Is Berlin still safe and practical to visit as a tourist right now?
Yes, the vast majority of Berlin is operating normally, major attractions and transport hubs remain open, and the disruption is largely confined to specific residential districts in the southwest, although visitors should stay informed and follow local guidance.

Q7: Are hospitals and care homes still affected by the blackout?
Most hospitals and the large majority of care homes initially impacted have had their power restored or are operating reliably on emergency generators, and authorities say critical medical services are stable and continuously prioritized.

Q8: What support is available besides hotel rooms?
The city has opened heated emergency shelters in sports halls and community centers, deployed mobile assistance teams, and coordinated with aid organizations to provide food, blankets, medical checks and information for residents who cannot stay at home.

Q9: How has the blackout affected local businesses?
Many small shops, cafes and restaurants in the affected districts have had to close temporarily or scale back operations due to the lack of power and heating, leading to financial losses and disruption in local supply chains.

Q10: Could similar attacks on infrastructure happen again in Berlin?
Security experts and officials acknowledge that energy and transport networks are potential targets for extremist groups, and the Berlin incident is intensifying national efforts to strengthen protection, monitoring and emergency response for critical infrastructure.