Suspected arson causes major power outage in Nice

A second major power outage in two days hit southeastern France Sunday, this time in the city of Nice, after an electrical facility was damaged by suspected arson.

In a post on X, the mayor of the coastal city, Christian Estrosi, blamed “malicious acts.” The Nice public prosecutor said a criminal investigation has been opened for “organised arson.”

The blackout in Nice started around 2:00 a.m. local time (0:00 a.m. GMT) and left approximately 45,000 households without electricity. The city’s trams stopped, and power was briefly cut to Nice Côte d’Azur Airport during its overnight closure.

According to the energy provider company Enedis, power was fully restored by 5:30 a.m.

The police have not yet determined whether the blackout that affected parts of Nice and two nearby cities is linked to the power outage that disrupted the final day of Cannes’ renowned film festival.

Blackout hits Cannes during film festival

On Saturday, the power cut hit the area around the French Riviera resort of Cannes just after 10:00 a.m. local time (8:00 a.m. GMT) due to a fire that broke out overnight in a substation in the nearby village of Tanneron.

Cannes mayor David Lisnard had said officials believe it was “targeted in a criminal act.”

Separately, in Villeneuve-Louet, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) northeast of Cannes, three pillars of an electricity pylon holding up a high-voltage power line were cut, prosecutors from the Alpes-Maritimes department said.

“The Prosecutor’s Office of Alpes-Maritimes condemns in the strongest possible terms these acts against the integrity of our infrastructures,” a statement said.

The Cannes Film Festival announced that it had “switched to an alternative electricity power supply, which enables us to maintain the events and screenings planned for today in normal conditions, including the closing ceremony.”