Alleged thief knocks out power while stealing copper wires: RCMP
Wire was stolen after power substation was broken into early Wednesday, RCMP says
A six-hour power outage was caused by an early morning break-in and theft at a substation, Bay Roberts RCMP say.
A lock on the secured gate at Newfoundland Power's substation, located in Marysvale, was cut off on Wednesday, allowing entry inside the high-voltage substation, RCMP said in a release sent Friday.
Once inside, someone cut and stole copper wire from several power towers, causing a power outage in the area that lasted for six hours, police said.
Newfoundland Power has repaired the damage to the substation.
It's dangerous to enter the locked, high-voltage areas of a substation, police said. Tampering with or removing the grounding wire made it very risky not only for the suspect or suspects, they said, but also for any employees who had to enter to make repairs.
Anyone with information about the theft can contact the Bay Roberts RCMP or Crime Stoppers.