Man Dies, Woman Burned In Apparent Copper Wire Theft Attempt
SOUTH GATE (CBS) — Police say a man died and a woman was critically injured Saturday while trying to steal copper wire from an electrical vault that exploded.
The explosion was reported at 4:14 p.m. near 3064 Firestone Blvd. Arriving officers found two people next to a burning electrical vault on a vacant property.
The man died at the scene and the woman was taken to St. Francis Medical Center with critical burns.
Investigators believe they were trying to steal copper wire from the electrical vault when the explosion happened.
Police said there were two small children in a truck parked near the victims. They were taken into protective custody until relatives could be located.
Police did not say whether the four people were related.
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