Brazen vandals chainsaw 3 Port Coquitlam hydro poles

Vandals with a chainsaw and little apparent fear of electrocution cut down two hydro poles and attempted to bring down a third early Tuesday morning in Port Coquitlam.

More than 4,500 BC Hydro customers lost power for four hours as a result of the three 12,000 volt overhead power lines that came down. Another underground power line was also severed.

"It's incredibly risky and really concerning to us," said BC Hydro spokeswoman Mora Scott. "Unfortunately, it's not the first time we've see this."

Scott says its possible the vandals were looking to steal copper wire, as was the case two years ago when six poles in Surrey were cut down with a chainsaw.

The Port Coquitlam poles were located along railway racks in Gates Park and were cut down approximately 4:30 a.m. creating a substantial risk to anyone who may have been in the area.

All three poles have been replaced and the RCMP and BC Hydro are investigating.

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