There is a new menace threatening the Capitol Hill power grid around Broadway and John — people.

Seattle City Light tells CHS that Friday’s underground electrical vault fire that caused a power outage to around 450 customers including area businesses and residential buildings was caused by “vandalism resulting in damage to primary and secondary underground cables.”

It took Seattle City Light several hours to make repairs and restore service.

The public utility is asking for your help keeping an eye on things.

“We ask for the public’s help in reporting to 911 any non-City Light employees entering the underground vault system or tampering with electrical poles, wire and cables,” a city light spokesperson said. “City Light employees typically work in teams of two or more; however, in rare cases, work may be performed by a single individual.”

Seattle City Light says to look for ID badges if something seems suspicious.

“Regardless of team size, all employees carry and display City Light identification badges,” the spokesperson said. “They arrive in clearly marked City Light vehicles, wear appropriate personal protective equipment—including high-visibility vests and hard hats—and use specialized tools and equipment to perform their work.”

Friday’s vault fire followed another in the same location as a damaging underground electrical system fire in July that required SFD’s specialized ENERGY 1 unit to snuff out. SCL previously said the July fire was caused by equipment failure but did not say theft was to blame. We’ve asked SCL for more information.

Utility and wire theft has grown into a major problem with City Light typically reporting losses of more than $1 million a year due to thieves and vandals including a round of damage inflicted upon the West Seattle Bridge’s electrical system in September.

The most common target for theft in underground electrical vaults is large-gauge copper cable. Thieves can use machinery to pull hundreds of feet of cable out of conduits. They also can target other components with small but heavy pieces of high-quality copper or bronze.

Pulling off a vault job is not an easy task as thieves need specialized tools to lift utility covers and cut through wiring, not to mention sorting out a way to sometimes pull hundreds of feet of heavy cable.

To battle theft, some utilities and companies are doing more to secure covers and entryways and adding sensors to alert on break-ins. Switching to Copper-Clad Steel which has almost no scrap value can also help.

Legislators have also pursued stricter laws to combat disruptions to power, telecom, and infrastructure.

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