✂️ A man "carrying large shears" probably caused today's power outage

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About 1,400 homes in the neighborhood lost power this mid-morning. While at the time it seemed plausible that it was the result of increased AC use during this run of swampy weather, it now looks like it was an act of either vandalism or copper theft gone wrong. 

Here’s an incomplete picture I pieced together from the police reports, chatting with the utility workers at the scene, and confirming with Xcel.

• Around 10 a.m., a utility pole was reported on fire in the alley between 34th and 35th Avenue, just north of 38th Street. 
• At about the same time, police received a report in the same area of a suspicious young man in an orange shirt carrying a large shears and climbing utility poles. 
• Firefighters — based conveniently at Station 21 just a block to the west — arrived and reported that the "insulator" knobs that hold the lines were on fire on top of the pole. The fire burned itself out without catching any neighboring structures or trees.

• Xcel Energy emergency responders happened to be just a few blocks away at the 40th and Hiawatha substation where they often wait for calls. They were able to quickly get power up and running with a temporary fix. The total outage lasted 30 to 40 minutes. 
• The arrangement is temporary, as another part of the system is now handling more than double the electricity load than usual, and power usage is especially high in this heat. For that reason, Xcel will hustle to fully replace the damaged equipment. That replacement won't require turning off anyone’s power. 
• Crew members said they repair this general issue with some regularity, but it's typically caused by accident, like being hit by a garbage truck. One person remembered fixing an intentional act of destroying the switch about 10 years ago, but it's not something they regularly see.
• In this case, it appears it wasn't an accident, as they found that the padlock that protects access to the switch had been cut.

• As to the motives of Shears Man, provided it was him? Unclear. People have been known to attempt to steal copper from active power lines, though it's a much more dangerous game than stealing from things like parkway light poles. It could also be an act of vandalism. And there's still a chance, albeit slim, that this is all just a coincidence.
• Xcel has its own investigative arm that will look into the incident. Anyone on that block with information or footage of the incident can report it to police.