Copper Thieves Cause Big Mess
Authorities say it all started when someone broke into a vacant house to steal copper piping.
Crews spent much of Thursday evening cleaning up oil that spilled into a small pond, after copper piping connected to the oil tank was stolen.
Monroe police are looking for the thieves who broke into a home, stole copper piping, and caused heating oil to spill into a neighbor's pond.
Police, firefighters, and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection were all called to the pond on Old Zoar Road around 3:30 Thursday afternoon.
Authorities say they're not sure how much heating oil ended up in the pond but they say the home's tank holds 275 gallons.
The oil came from a foreclosed home on nearby Bagburn Road.
"There was a theft of copper pipe in the vacant house which in turn had the oil leak out of the oil tank into a storm drain in the basement of the house and then in turn it drains out to the drains on the side of the road and ended up in the neighbor's pond," said William Davin, the fire marshal in Monroe.
Crews spent the afternoon and night using a vacuum truck to clean up the mess.
The theft of copper is a growing crime these days as it can be easily sold.
"It's just crazy I mean but it's just the world we're living in right now. Unbelievable," said Davin.
So far police have made no arrests in the theft.
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