Irvine police searching for man seen damaging, disabling wildfire detection equipment

Irvine police are searching for a man who has been seen vandalizing wildfire detection equipment on multiple occasions. 

In a post shared to the department's social media accounts, Irvine Police Department investigators asked for the public's help in identifying a man who has been caught on camera damaging and disabling the equipment in an open space near Lake Forest and Bake Parkway. 

Police say that the "advanced wildfire detection equipment" is critical to keeping the community safe. 

The equipment, which is of vital importance to local fire departments, is equipped with cameras and weather tracking machines to allow first responders to pinpoint exactly where a fire is located. There is a large network of the equipment across California.