Thieves leave 600 volt trolley bus wire dangling in Vancouver
Posted April 2, 2019 2:43 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Transit Police are releasing a warning after a high-power trolley bus line was found dangling along Arbutus Street near King Edward early Tuesday morning.
Things could have ended much worse for thieves who were likely trying to get copper out of lines.
Sergeant Clint Hampton with Transit Police says something caused them to leave the scene on Arbutus near King Edward in Vancouver, but they left the wire dangling which could have killed someone if they came in contact with it.
“I don’t believe any wire was actually taken, however wire was left down and it’s my understanding that it was live wire,” he says. “If anybody was to touch that wire, they could most certainly be killed.”
He’s asking the public to be vigilant.
“If they see a vehicle, even if it looks like a legitimate vehicle, but it’s perhaps in the off hours, either call 9-1-1 or contact Transit Police and let us make that determination, whether they’re out there for a legitimate purpose,” Hampton says.
“And that’s always the big fear, you see a wire hanging, not everybody’s going to think, ‘Oh that’s a live wire.’ But in the past when they have been cut and hanging, they are live.”
Hampton says the line was carrying about 600 volts.
If you see a downed wire, stay at least 10 metres away and call police.
