Enumclaw Woman Burned While Stealing Copper Wire

A 32 year-old Enumclaw woman suffered life-threatening third-degree burns to her arms and face while attempting to steal copper wire from a Puget Sound Energy electrical substation.

PSE crews went to the substation in the 41900 block of 180th Ave. S.E. after reports of a power outage and found the burned woman inside the fenced area Saturday, Sgt. John Urquardt of the King County Sheriff Department said Monday. They called the fire department and police, and the woman was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Evidence indicated she and an accomplice, who escaped, were
attempting to steal copper wire. The woman was on top of the one of the transformers and came close enough to an energized circuit to be burned. The substation has voltages as high as 115,000 volts. The thieves gained entry by cutting a hole in the 8-foot-tall cyclone fence.

Sheriff's detectives and PSE are asking the public to call 9-1-1 if they see any suspicious activity near utility areas.

“Thieves who enter substations to remove copper wiring and vandalize  equipment risk serious injury or death from these high-voltage       facilities,” said Dave Foster, manager of corporate security for PSE. “In addition to putting themselves and the public in danger, the vandals can cause power outages and tens of thousands of dollars in repair costs, which ultimately impacts customer bills.”   

Foster said as a result of the higher copper prices and current       economic conditions, PSE is seeing a significant increase in the number of copper thefts. Since August 2010, more than 50 copper thefts have occurred at PSE’s substations and on utility poles.   

PSE has taken steps to make substations more secure with patrols, motion-activated lighting, identification coding on copper wire and a newly installed video-alarm system that alerts local police when a burglary is under way at a substation. The utility operates 430       substations in nine counties, primarily in Western Washington.   

“Public safety is our primary concern,” Foster said in a news release. “We need to make sure our substations and equipment are safe for our employees, our customers and the general public. We believe in using all available security methods to apprehend and convict those responsible for these thefts.”