Power has been cut off in large swaths of southern and central Iraq for much of Saturday during scorching summer heat and observances of the Ashura day after a fire broke out at a power station in the southern city of Basra.

The fire at the Al Bkir substation in Basra resulted in the separation of transmission lines linking the southern and central regions, leading to a complete shutdown of the electrical system in the area, Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity said in a statement on Saturday.

It said the fire was accidental.

The power outage came as the electrical system faces other challenges, including fuel shortages and surging demands for electricity during a major heatwave.

On Saturday, temperatures reached 47 degrees Celsius. Also on Saturday, the company that handles electricity transmission in the north reported that the northern transmission line in a remote area outside the city of Haditha in western Iraq had been sabotaged.

Three towers were hit by improvised explosive devices, putting the line out of service, the statement said.

It did not say who was responsible for the attack.

Staff were not initially able to repair the damage on Friday due to security issues, the statement said.

Daesh cells and other armed groups are active in the remote desert area.

On Saturday, workers were able to access the site with the help of security forces and begin repair work. The Ministry of Electricity ordered the formation of committees to investigate both incidents.

Iraq’s electricity crisis

The power blackout had a domino effect on other services, with Baghdad Municipality attributing a disruption in the tap water supply to the outage caused by the fire in Basra.

The municipality said it was trying to run water pumps using generators to limit the impact on citizens.

Rolling power cuts, which hit Iraq each summer and can last up to 10 hours a day, mean many households subscribe to neighbourhood generators to provide backup power.

But not all families can afford it, and not all generators provide sufficient power for larger devices such as air conditioners to cope with summer temperatures.

Earlier this month, Iraq signed a $27 billion deal with TotalEnergies that many hope will help resolve Iraq’s longstanding electricity crisis, attract international investors and reduce its reliance on gas imports from neighbouring Iran.