Telstra begins temporary restoration after Parklea fire

Telstra has begun the task of temporarily restoring fixed and mobile services that were cut by a fire at an exchange in Sydney’s north-west earlier this week.

The telco said it would begin the “temporary solution … from late today” and said it expected to have the majority of services restored by the weekend, although some forum users reported restoration dates into next week.

Services are being restored using Telstra’s mobile exchange on wheels (MEOW) trailers.

Though it initially ordered two MEOWs to the site in the wake of the fire, it yesterday said it had asked for a third trailer to be brought to Parklea.

The telco said once the building had been declared safe by fire authorities, technicians had started working to patch fibre links in and out of the site.

The fire – which, from photos, appeared to be the result of an electrical fault – caused “extensive damage” to the Parklea exchange, and continues to impact services in several neighbouring suburbs.

Comment has been sought from a spokesperson to confirm the cause of the blaze, and whether technicians had been able to assess how long before the exchange can be rebuilt and services permanently restored.