Copper thieves are stealing live power lines! What next? I bet they start stealing the hi-tension power distribution tranmission lines on the national grid. Oh well, here's the article from nwitimes.
GARY | Thieves have climbed utility poles and cut live copper wires in 14 separate incidents since Sunday in a neighborhood adjacent to downtown.
The thieves have made off with 2,300 feet of wire weighing an estimated 600 pounds, according to NIPSCO. The utility is asking for the public's help in stopping the thefts.
"It is not only a danger to the people doing this, but it also is causing outages for the residents of that neighborhood," said NIPSCO spokesman Nick Meyer.
NIPSCO is urging residents who see anything suspicious to call police. The area where the thefts have taken place is east of Broadway between U.S. 20 on the north and 11th Avenue on the south.
Ever since copper soared in value five years ago, utilities, commuter railroads and construction sites have been frequent targets for thieves willing to take ever greater risks to get their hands on copper they can sell for more than $4 per pound at scrapyards.
