Thousands of residents in La Plata and surrounding areas were left without electrical service in the early hours of Monday after a fire broke out at a power plant located in Tolosa. The incident occurred around 3 a.m., according to the Noticias Argentinas agency, in the area of 9 between 527 and 528, where several fire brigades were working.
According to TN, the fire caused the explosion of a transformer and the collapse of two towers at the power plant. The flames were brought under control shortly before 7 a.m. by at least four fire brigades, although the fire had not been completely extinguished in two areas located on Camino General Belgrano and calle 527.
The power cut extended from hypermarkets located on Camino Centenario and Belgrano to the intersections of 7 and 38. The towns of La Plata, Tolosa, Ringuelet, Ensenada, Berisso and San Carlos were among those affected by the mass blackout.
Residents reported difficulties filing complaints. A resident identified as Valeria noted that she lived in an area without power and tried to file a complaint via WhatsApp with Edelap, the distribution company, but could not retrieve information about her supply. Another user named Leo also complained that the company's WhatsApp channel was not working and was not accepting requests about the outage.
The distribution company had announced scheduled power cuts for Monday to carry out maintenance work in the area. In an official statement, it stated that users affected by those works were notified before, during and after their completion via email and the company's application. It will now have to carry out work to restore service in all affected areas of Buenos Aires province.