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BC Hydro is working with the RCMP on investigating two power poles being cut down with chainsaws in Surrey on Sunday.

The power company said thieves risked death or serious injury when they cut down the power poles on two separate properties to strip the transformers of copper.

Metal theft is a huge concern for BC Hydro, as it’s a crime that impacts the safety of the public and the company’s employees – as well as having an effect on the electrical system.

In one case, the electrical equipment attached to the power pole was de-energized. However the other pole’s equipment was energized and the power line had 25,000 volts of electricity running through it when it was brought down, causing a grass fire.

BC Hydro wold like to remind the public that a person should never assume any electrical equipment is de-energized and if anyone sees a downed power line to treat it as an emergency, stand back and call 9-1-1 immediately.