A culprit trying to steal copper wire from an electrical box is believed to have been behind a power outage in Red Deer that left thousands of homes in the dark early Monday.
Red Deer RCMP said at around 4:30 a.m. on Monday an underground electrical enclosure near Bremner Avenue was broken into by someone who tried to cut live electrical lines. The attempt caused a power failure that affected several neighbourhoods.
Workers who arrived to investigate the power outage called RCMP when they saw what had happened.
“Cutting live electrical wires is extremely dangerous, and potentially life threatening,” said Red Deer RCMP Cpl. Mike Evans.“We are working to locate the suspect responsible for this attempted theft, and also want to confirm their well-being as they may be seriously injured.
“The attempted theft resulted in damage to city infrastructure, a power outage that impacted approximately 6,000 customers on Monday morning, and had the potential to put our responding staff at risk,” said City of Red Deer Utilities Manager Jim Jorgensen.
Red Deer RCMP are asking anyone who has more information to come forward. Details such as seeing someone suspicious or possibly injured around Bremner Avenue and Molly Bannister Drive in the early morning hours of Aug. 1. Reports can be made by calling the Red Deer RCMP at 403-343-5575. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.