![Hon. Festus Keyamo SAN arrives MMIA past 11:50 p.m. Feb 23 to lead oversight of Terminal 1 fire. Joined FAAN MD & team actively managing situation. Directed morning inspection Tuesday to guide restoration & confirm safety standards. Reaffirmed focus on passenger safety. Story: [link] #KeyamoMMIA #FireIncident #FAAN](https://fullcliphq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/mym-150x150.jpg "MMIA Fire: Keyamo Inspects Lagos Airport After Terminal 1 Blaze Disrupts Flights")
Tens of thousands of households in western Brittany spent the night without electricity after a major power outage triggered by extreme heat, exposing the growing vulnerability of France’s electricity infrastructure to increasingly intense summer temperatures.
The incident occurred around 9 p.m. on Tuesday at an RTE transformer station in Ergué-Gabéric, near Quimper in the Finistère department. Authorities reported explosions at the facility, leading to a precautionary evacuation of nearby homes. At its peak, the outage affected more than 106,000 Enedis customers. As of Wednesday morning, around 68,000 households were still without power, with full restoration not expected until late in the day at the earliest.
Emergency generators were quickly deployed to critical facilities such as nursing homes, while repair teams worked through the night. Officials described the outage as accidental and directly linked to the soaring temperatures, which have pushed electrical equipment beyond normal operating limits.
This disruption comes as France grapples with one of its most severe early-summer heatwaves on record. Météo-France has placed 58 departments (more than half the country and over 50 million people) under its highest-level red heat alert for Wednesday. Temperatures in parts of southwest Brittany are forecast to reach 40–41°C, while the national average hit a record 29.8°C on Tuesday. Nights have brought little relief, with unusually warm minimum temperatures adding to health concerns, particularly for the elderly and vulnerable.
The event echoes the devastating 2003 heatwave but has arrived unusually early in the season. Authorities have activated the national ORSAN health emergency plan, closed or modified school schedules, restricted access to major landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and Louvre, and urged citizens to stay indoors, stay hydrated, and check on neighbours. Rail services have faced delays due to heat-stressed tracks, and drowning incidents have risen sharply as people seek relief in rivers and lakes.
Experts say the outage highlights a broader challenge: France’s electricity grid, while supported by a robust nuclear generation fleet, is facing mounting pressure on its distribution networks as extreme heat events become more frequent due to climate change. Transformers and power lines expand and sag under prolonged high temperatures and heavy demand, even in a country where relatively few households have air conditioning.
For residents in the affected areas of Finistère, the situation has added inconvenience to an already uncomfortable period. Local authorities have urged people to follow official guidance, conserve energy where possible, and use community support systems.
As restoration work continues and the heatwave shows little sign of easing, this incident serves as a stark reminder of the real-world impact of a warming climate on critical infrastructure across Europe. It also raises longer-term questions about the need for greater investment in heat-resilient power systems and smarter grid management to cope with future extremes.