Copper wire theft suspected as cause of Philadelphia power outage, police say

    PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (KYW) -- Power was knocked out for about 1,000 homes and businesses in a Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood Thursday after police said a man tried to steal copper wire from a transformer box owned by PECO, the local electric utility.

The transformer box is located along Roosevelt Boulevard between Grant Avenue and Welsh Road, near the site of a KFC restaurant that is being demolished.

Around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, the man broke into the construction site and then the PECO box, Philadelphia police said.

The man then cut a high-voltage cable, which electrocuted him and sparked a fire, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters.

The man was burned on his face and upper body and rushed to Jefferson University Hospital, where he is in critical condition.

Small said detectives found a cutting tool inside the transformer box – the tool may belong to the man.

"There may be similar incidents that have taken place in the past where someone may have been trying to steal copper or some sort of copper wiring," Small said.

Some local businesses lost power for about 30 minutes after the incident. By 7 a.m. Thursday, PECO said it had restored power to all customers.