Authorities launch probe after power outage leaves 400 in the dark

Russia's Investigative Committee and the prosecutor's office have begun checks following a power supply failure in the Markova settlement near Irkutsk, where about 400 people were left without electricity after a transformer substation caught fire.

Jan 21, 2026

Authorities are investigating the cause of a transformer fire that caused a widespread blackout.
Source:
Svet38 / T.me

Russia«s Investigative Committee (SK) and the prosecutor»s office have begun an inspection due to an accident on the power supply networks in the Markova settlement in the Irkutsk region. About 400 people there were left without electricity.

Power was cut off to residents of the «Park Pushkino» microdistrict, the «Romashka» dacha settlement, and the «Varezhki» cottage settlement. According to Frolov, due to persistent frosts with temperatures around -38°C (-36°F), electricity consumption increased, resulting in an overload on the power line on the night of 20 January 2026. The first fire occurred at 21:06 on 19 January. The accident was rectified at 02:40. A second fire occurred at 03:40.

The Investigative Committee is conducting an inspection into the fire at the transformer substation, which, according to preliminary data, occurred due to a short circuit.

The prosecutor«s office is checking how the rights of Markova»s residents are being observed.