BERLIN, Germany: Tens of thousands of households in southwestern Berlin saw their electricity restored on January 7, three days after leftist activists had attacked a power station, causing a blackout.

This was the most extended outage in the German capital since World War II.

A fire early on January 3 destroyed a cable tunnel over a canal, cutting power to about 45,000 homes and more than 2,000 businesses in the southwest of the city during freezing weather.

"Today is a good day for the many people affected who had been cut off from electricity and heat since January 3," said Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner.

The operation to restore power, which started at 11 a.m. (1000 GMT), was a complex and gradual process, he said.

The far-left activist group Volcano said it was responsible. The group had earlier claimed it attacked a power tower near Tesla's factory outside Berlin in 2024.

The German army was called in to help people affected by the blackout, which also disrupted mobile phone service, heating, and trains.

The far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) set up food stations across Berlin and served hot meals to residents.

The long-lasting problems have led some politicians to call for more spending to protect the city's infrastructure, especially after intelligence agencies warned about growing threats from left-wing extremists.