Suspected copper wire thieves cause large power outage in Puyallup

Several Puyallup schools are delayed due to a power outage.

PUYALLUP, Wash. - Thousands of customers in Puyallup were in the dark because of vandalism overnight.

Puyallup police said early Tuesday morning there was a large power outage in the downtown area, impacting several traffic signals.

The damage happened before 11 p.m. Tuesday in the North Puyallup area around the 12300 Block of Valley Avenue East.

Puget Sound Energy officials told FOX 13 News the outage was caused by suspected thieves who went after copper wire on a line.

While cutting down the pole to get to the line, it fell on PSE’s energized lines which caused the outage.

More than 17,000 customers were affected by the outage.

Nearly a dozen schools in the Puyallup School District had delayed starts because of the outage.

Anyone who sees suspicious activity around power lines is asked to call and report it as soon as possible.