somewhere underneath all of the char...
LANGLEY, British Columbia -- A 35-year-old man was electrocuted when he cut through a high-voltage line near a British Columbia Hydro substation, apparently while trying to steal copper wire, officials said.
A utility worker investigating a power failure in this suburb south of Vancouver found the dead man in a normally locked underground junction box near a substation about 3 a.m. Monday, Hydro officials said.
A preliminary investigation indicated the man, who had a criminal record, was attempting to cut a live wire when he was fatally jolted by about 14,000 volts of electricity, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cpl. Diane Blain said.
Rising metal prices have fueled a growing theft problem for numerous businesses, including Telus, the largest telephone company in the province, and the electrical utility. The price of copper has more than doubled, going from $1.98 on Jan. 1 to a record $4.04 per pound recently.
"Last year we had a fellow who lost two fingers trying to steal Telus wires and now we've got a death," Blain said.
"They'll steal anything that is metal," she said. "It has been a problem we have been battling for a long time."
"It is on the increase," Hydro spokeswoman Tarina Palmer said. "Copper prices are the highest they've been for some time."
