Man catches fire trying to steal copper wiring (from an electric substation) [View All]

[Ichingcarpenter]

Source: New 8 Austin

A man is in critical condition after authorities said he tried to steal copper wiring at an electrical substation.

His actions caused sparks to fly.

He received burns all over his body and power went out for thousands.

Most the 7,300 homes affected were in East Austin.

The outage happened just before rush hour Wednesday night and caused traffic jams because traffic lights were affected.

The suspect's botched attempts caused him to catch fire.

Witness Jessie Hernandez said she told the man to Stop, Drop and Roll.

"He was burning up, he was still on fire,” Hernandez said. “And I was telling him to drop and roll around, to roll around and turn out the fire."

Read more: http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=201560

---

the metal has gained 47% this past year