Big parts of Argentina were left without power on Wednesday afternoon after a power outage in the national grid due to a fire, officials said, as the country faces a major heat wave which has increased the demand for energy.
Parts of the capital Buenos Aires, and the central regions of Santa Fe, Neuquen, Cordoba and Mendoza, have experienced blackouts, according to a statement from the Energy Secretariat.
The fault put 10,000 megawatts offline, a source at a power company told Reuters. A source at the secretariat added that supplies were slowly being restored.
The country’s Ministry of Economy has requested an investigation into how the fire started.
Several blackouts have occurred in the country since January due to high demand for electricity.
(Reporting by Eliana Raszewski; Writing by Carolina Pulice; Editing by Sandra Maler and Aurora Ellis)
