A blinding flash tore across the St. Paul sky early Monday after an attempted copper heist set off an electrical surge that dropped live power lines and torched a parked minivan. Fire crews rushed to the Concordia and Western avenues area shortly after midnight, as videos circulated showing flames shooting into the night. The van was left burned out, but officials say no one was hurt.
What officials say
Deputy Fire Chief Jamie Smith told KSTP that thieves apparently tried to strip copper cable from a vault at the former Sears parking lot, triggering an electrical surge that led to power-line failures a few blocks away. One energized line came down on a minivan and set it on fire, with television cameras later capturing the charred vehicle near Concordia and Western avenues. Firefighters waited for Xcel Energy to cut power to the area, then moved in and extinguished the blaze, the department said.
Copper thefts have been a costly problem
Copper thefts have dogged St. Paul for years and have cost the city and utilities millions of dollars in repairs, according to the Star Tribune. The paper noted that a state law requiring scrap metal sellers to be licensed took effect in January and was expected to help slow the trade. MPR reported that St. Paul police and public-works crews have been ramping up prevention and repair efforts to protect streetlights and communications lines from would-be metal thieves.
Power and the ongoing probe
Xcel Energy briefly shut off power in the neighborhood so crews could work safely and told KSTP that roughly 400 customers lost electricity before service was restored for most of them. The utility says the exact cause of the outage is still under investigation. The St. Paul Fire Department confirmed crews were dispatched shortly after midnight and reported no injuries.
Next steps for the neighborhood
Investigators from the fire department, along with utility partners, plan to examine the vault and figure out how the energized lines were able to come down, and local leaders say cracking down on metal theft remains a top priority, the Star Tribune reported. Residents are being reminded to steer clear of any downed wires and to report suspicious activity to police before a risky grab for copper turns into the next neighborhood light show.
