Ourense internet outage caused by dual fires in Vigo and Lugo

Thousands of customers in the province of Ourense, Spain, experienced a massive outage of fixed internet and landline services following two simultaneous fires. The telecommunications company R (MasOrange) reported that the disruption was caused by the destruction of both primary and backup fiber optic routes.

The first incident occurred on Thursday night at an electrical substation in Vigo, which damaged one communication link between Vigo, Lugo, and Ourense. While the network initially maintained connectivity by rerouting traffic through a redundant path, a second fire in the Penarrubia forest area in Lugo subsequently damaged the backup route. This coincidence of two simultaneous incidents on the Galician fiber ring left the province without redundancy.

The outage lasted over 24 hours, affecting homes, businesses, and basic services. Mobile services remained operational as they function through antenna networks rather than the damaged fiber lines. Restoration efforts began in a staggered manner on Friday night.