Copper thieves cause 400 volt power surge, damaging homes in Oude Pekela

Thieves stealing copper wiring from a transformer building in Oude Pekela Sent a brief surge of electricity at 400 volts to households in the area. This caused various damage in some homes, including to water boilers, a spokesperson for grid operator Enexis confirmed in response to a broadcast by RTV Noord.

The voltage delivered to homes is usually between 220 and 240 volts. The spokesperson said that the high voltage caused dangerous situations, but there were no known injuries.

The electricity peak was short-lived because the fuses and circuit breakers were tripped.

It happened at 2:30 a.m on Friday. Just over 240 Enexis customers subsequently lost power. A generator has since been installed to provide everyone with electricity again.

A resident from Meidoornstraat told RTV Noord that a loud bang woke him up in the middle of the night. He also said, "sparks came out of the socket" at a neighbor’s home.