AJHawkfan
Wanna make $14 the hard way?
Just make sure the power is shut off the next time you're in the mood for scavenging wire.........
http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0602energytheft.html
Man burned in apparent attempt to steal metal wire
As the price of industrial metals hits new highs, abandoned industrial buildings are plagued by scavengers.
By Steve Bennish
Staff Writer
DAYTON | A man apparently attempting to steal metal wire from a 12,000-volt power line was left with 40 percent of his body burned Thursday afternoon when he tried to cut a live wire, authorities said.
The explosion and fire that followed burned a 40-foot-tall power pole and nearby brush, and cut power to a building at Sinclair Community College and homes near 954 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd., the abandoned Howard Paper Mill where the man was injured.
At one point in the downtown area, 34 Dayton Power & Light customers were without electricity when the power shorted out sometime after 3 p.m.
The man, who remained at Miami Valley Hospital's burn unit Thursday night, will likely survive, Dayton West District Fire Chief Mark Whisman said.
Fire officials did not release the man's name late Thursday.
After the man was burned, he stumbled to a nearby business and collapsed in the parking lot where an ambulance crew found him.
As the price of industrial metals hits new highs on world markets, Dayton's abandoned industrial buildings have been plagued by scavengers who rip out copper and other metal to sell to salvage yards.
The scavengers have been at work in various locations, including residential rehabs and old industrial buildings, where they have cut holes in roofs to gain access, fire Capt. Barry Baldwin said.
"We're seeing it more and more," he said. "The market for scrap is so high now, they are getting all they can." The scavengers have repeatedly hit the paper mill, Baldwin noted.
DP&L spokesman Tom Tatham said the company is concerned primarily about the safety and health of the hospitalized man.
Aside from that, he said the company would consider pressing charges if the law was violated.
"We will thoroughly review the incident. To the extent we believe the law is broken, we would pursue it," Tatham said.
He said the incident is a good example of thinking safety first. "Always assume wires are energized, whether they are underground or overhead," he said.
Tatham said the company hasn't seen a significant increase in people attempting to steal wire from its facilities.
"We are aware that theft of scrap metal nationwide has increased," he noted.
"We take the security of our facilities seriously for the sake of the company and the general public."
http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0602energytheft.html
Man burned in apparent attempt to steal metal wire
As the price of industrial metals hits new highs, abandoned industrial buildings are plagued by scavengers.
By Steve Bennish
Staff Writer
DAYTON | A man apparently attempting to steal metal wire from a 12,000-volt power line was left with 40 percent of his body burned Thursday afternoon when he tried to cut a live wire, authorities said.
The explosion and fire that followed burned a 40-foot-tall power pole and nearby brush, and cut power to a building at Sinclair Community College and homes near 954 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd., the abandoned Howard Paper Mill where the man was injured.
At one point in the downtown area, 34 Dayton Power & Light customers were without electricity when the power shorted out sometime after 3 p.m.
The man, who remained at Miami Valley Hospital's burn unit Thursday night, will likely survive, Dayton West District Fire Chief Mark Whisman said.
Fire officials did not release the man's name late Thursday.
After the man was burned, he stumbled to a nearby business and collapsed in the parking lot where an ambulance crew found him.
As the price of industrial metals hits new highs on world markets, Dayton's abandoned industrial buildings have been plagued by scavengers who rip out copper and other metal to sell to salvage yards.
The scavengers have been at work in various locations, including residential rehabs and old industrial buildings, where they have cut holes in roofs to gain access, fire Capt. Barry Baldwin said.
"We're seeing it more and more," he said. "The market for scrap is so high now, they are getting all they can." The scavengers have repeatedly hit the paper mill, Baldwin noted.
DP&L spokesman Tom Tatham said the company is concerned primarily about the safety and health of the hospitalized man.
Aside from that, he said the company would consider pressing charges if the law was violated.
"We will thoroughly review the incident. To the extent we believe the law is broken, we would pursue it," Tatham said.
He said the incident is a good example of thinking safety first. "Always assume wires are energized, whether they are underground or overhead," he said.
Tatham said the company hasn't seen a significant increase in people attempting to steal wire from its facilities.
"We are aware that theft of scrap metal nationwide has increased," he noted.
"We take the security of our facilities seriously for the sake of the company and the general public."